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Woman dies in hospital waiting room, no one around her tries to help
Collapses, waits 45 minutes for response
KINGS COUNTY (WABC) -- A 49-year-old woman who was brought to the psychiatric ward at Kings County Hospital died after collapsing in the waiting area. She was found unresponsive on the floor 45 minutes later, despite being surrounded by other people who did nothing to help her.
The whole incident was caught on a hospital surveillance camera.
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation reported the incident surrounding the woman's death to a number of health oversight agencies and law enforcement authorities.
While the case is under further review, HHC President Alan Aviles directed the suspension or termination of six hospital employees, including staff involved with the direct care of the patient, as well as managers of security and clinical services.
The woman was brought to the Psychiatric Emergency Department at the hospital by EMS on the morning of June 18 suffering from agitation and psychosis. Officials say she refused medical review and was involuntarily admitted. She was in the Psychiatric ED waiting room, waiting for a bed in the inpatient unit to become available.
Early in the morning on June 19, she was found unresponsive on the floor. The video shows her falling out of the chair and onto the floor, thrashing about and kicking her legs. There were at least three other patients in the waiting area at the time, and several employees of the hospital are seen looking at her on the floor and walking away.
A preliminary review conducted by Kings County Hospital and HHC staff has determined the patient remained on the floor for 45 minutes before she received medical attention.
"We are all shocked and distressed by this situation," Aviles said. "What our investigation so far determined violates the basic principles of the compassionate healthcare practiced every day here at Kings County and across our public hospital system. We express our deep regrets to the patient's family and will ensure a thorough investigation to answer any questions that remain."
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation released the following statement:
"It is clear that some of our employees failed to act based on our compassionate standards of care. Immediately after the incident was discovered on June 20, and following a preliminary investigation by HHC staff, HHC President Alan D. Aviles directed the suspension and termination of those involved. The case and video surveillance tapes were immediately turned over to a number of health oversight agencies, medical misconduct boards and law enforcement.
****please read my comment towards the bottom. The same thing happened in LA last month!***** Collapses, waits 45 minutes for response ... more -
Insurance company acts as judge, jury, and executioner
So the argument goes Cigna effectively killed this young lady. What happened that the hospital and physicians didn't step up? The insurance company is being blamed (and they do seem to be culpable) but there are many links which seem to have broken here. So the argument goes Cigna effectively killed this young lady. What happened that the hospital and physicians didn't step up? The... more
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Graham, FDA is "virtually defenseless" against another terrible tragedy
Hey remember this?
Why wasn't the press all over this instead of the garbage it covers?
Where is the follow up on this crucial information about that affects our safety.
This type of profound news that affects Murdoch's bottom line seems to mysteriously disappear into the back pages.
Could it be that having billions of drug ads could be some sort of...conflict of interest with producing unbiased news?
HMMM
This is one reason I love this Current blog. Why should we rely on these strangers to edit what we see?
We can see what direction they are taking us and itis not for our good.
FDA whistleblower claims he'll be forced from post
By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
Food and Drug Administration whistleblower David Graham said Wednesday that he expects as soon as next week to be forced from his job in the Office of Drug Safety.
David Graham said on television Wednesday that he fears reprisals.
By Gerald Herbert, AP
"I'm going to be transferred, and I don't want to go," said Graham, who told a Senate committee on Nov. 18 that the FDA is "virtually defenseless" against another "terrible tragedy and a profound regulatory failure" like Vioxx, an arthritis drug pulled off the market over concerns that it increased the risk of heart attack, stroke or sudden cardiac death.
Graham, associate director for science and medicine in the FDA office, went on to name five other drugs Meridia, Crestor, Accutane, Serevent and Bextra that he says threaten the public's safety.
Graham's attorney, Tom Devine, legal director of the Government Accountability Project, said his client "got a very credible warning" about the job change from a staff member in the office of acting FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford.
"He's going to be exiled from work reviewing drugs and put to work in the office of the commissioner," said Devine, adding that Graham has no legal recourse against such a move. "He'll be paid to fill space under the watchful eye of a babysitter." Devine's non-profit group is a public-interest organization and law firm that defends whistleblowers.
Graham says he met with Crawford on Nov. 9 to discuss the agency's plans to strengthen the safety program for marketed drugs.
The Food and Drug Administration would neither confirm nor deny that Graham is to be transferred. In a statement to USA TODAY on Wednesday, the agency said, "For privacy reasons, the FDA does not comment on personnel issues."
Also on Wednesday, Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, sent a letter to Daniel Levinson, acting inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, asking for an official investigation into whether the FDA has attempted to discredit Graham.
BMJ, a British medical journal, reported this week that a caller to Devine's group, who claimed to be another FDA whistleblower, described Graham as a bully whose research might reflect scientific misconduct. The call was found to have come from an FDA manager trying to discredit Graham.
In a statement, the FDA said it had no prior knowledge of any employee contacting Devine's group. Hey remember this? Why wasn't the press all over this instead of the garbage it covers? ... more -
Single-payer FAQ
I just thought this was an interesting (6-page) FAQ on single-payer health systems. It's from the Physicians for a National Health System website. I just thought this was an interesting (6-page) FAQ on single-payer health systems. It's from the Physicians for a National Healt... more
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FDA review Tamiflu's brain effects in more than 1,800 children Rumsfeld'...
A Food and Drug Administration panel on Tuesday will review reports of abnormal behavior and other brain effects in more than 1,800 children who had taken the flu medicine Tamiflu since its approval in 1999, including 55 in the USA.
Twenty-two of the U.S. reports were considered "serious," with symptoms such as convulsions, delirium or delusions, says Terry Hurley, spokesman for drugmaker Roche Laboratories.
None of the U.S. cases resulted in death. But in Japan, Hurley says, five deaths have been reported in children under 16 as a result of neurological or psychiatric problems. "Four were fatal falls, and one was encephalitis in a patient with leukemia," he says.
In addition, in people ages 17 to 21, there were two deaths in Japan, one a "fatal accident with abnormal behavior," Hurley says, and the second as a result of encephalopathy, a brain infection. Seven adult deaths attributed to neuropsychiatric problems also have been reported in Japan. A Food and Drug Administration panel on Tuesday will review reports of abnormal behavior and other brain effects in more than 1,800 ch... more -
Integrated health promises to reduce rising health costs in the nation
The world of alternative medicine--meditation, yoga, acupuncture and a host of related therapies--will celebrate a coming-of-age moment on Nov. 30. In Durham, N.C., Christy Mack and her husband John Mack, chairman of investment bank Morgan Stanley, will officially open the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine. They personally financed the center with $10 million from the C.J. Mack Foundation.
The center represents an acknowledgment of sorts by the established medical community of the potential, yet highly controversial, benefits of these alternative therapies. The Duke Center will be open to anyone from across the globe, not just members of the Duke community. Cottages will be built in the woods nearby as living facilities for out-of-town visitors.
The idea for the Duke Center was the result of a collaboration between Dr. Ralph Synderman, former head of the Duke Medical Center, Dr. Tracey Gaudet, a Duke physician, and Christy Mack, who prefers the term "integrative medicine" over alternative medicine. The daughter of a Greensboro, N.C., doctor, she is heavily involved in the movement to blend treatments aimed at helping the mind and spirit with the use of conventional medicine like drugs and surgery. She believes that the former are just as essential to health as antibiotics and surgery or technological breakthroughs.
"The practice of medicine should be focused with an emphasis on the interconnectedness of mind, body, spirit and community," says Mack, who herself is a trained practitioner of Reiki, an ancient Eastern massage technique that she claims transmits energy to the patient.
To further the cause, Mack and a group of like-minded philanthropists five years ago formed a nonprofit organization, the Bravewell Collaborative.
Bravewell is not some flaky New Age group. Among its 29 members are Earl Bakken, founder of Medtronic (nyse: MDT - news - people ), the pacemaker company; Bruce Dayton, the former CEO of the Dayton Hudson retail store chain; and Bill Sarnoff, nephew of RCA founder David Sarnoff.
"We want Bravewell to be a catalyst for change, and we think we are reaching the tipping point," says Mack, who won't be satisfied until the medical establishment accepts her point of view as an integral part of their profession.
Her husband John Mack, a Wall Street titan, who himself is chairman of the board of trustees of New York Presbyterian Hospital, says he has been "moved by the passion and dedication of Christy's doctors to improving people's health by treating the whole person, not just the disease" by means of drugs and surgery. He has seen first-hand how one of his leading bankers came back from a debilitating illness by "taking up meditation seriously," Mack says, "even in the taxicab coming to work." The Macks, along with other Bravewell members, also raised money for the PBS special this year, "The New Medicine," which featured the use of hypnosis and guided imagery as techniques to reduce pain and help ill people lead active lives. The special won the Freddie Award for Health and Science Media in the area of health and wellness. The world of alternative medicine--meditation, yoga, acupuncture and a host of related therapies--will celebrate a coming-of-age momen... more -
Rumsfeld Owns Stock in the Company that Makes TamiFlu
This is true according to Snopes. FDA panel to review Tamiflu's effect on brain
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Medicine Ratings Reports by Patients
Here is what patients say about prescription drugs We hear too too too much from the drug companies on TV from their marketing.
Here is a little old website that lets real people tell it likeit is...someis great and some not.
http://www.askapatient.com/viewtopratings.asp Here is what patients say about prescription drugs We hear too too too much from the drug companies on TV from their marketing. ... more -
Omega-3, junk food and the link between violence and what we eat
Research with British and US offenders suggests nutritional deficiencies may play a key role in aggressive bevaviour
That Dwight Demar is able to sit in front of us, sober, calm, and employed, is "a miracle", he declares in the cadences of a prayer-meeting sinner. He has been rocking his 6ft 2in bulk to and fro while delivering a confessional account of his past into the middle distance. He wants us to know what has saved him after 20 years on the streets: "My dome is working. They gave me some kind of pill and I changed. Me, myself and I, I changed."
Demar has been in and out of prison so many times he has lost count of his convictions. "Being drunk, being disorderly, trespass, assault and battery; you name it, I did it. How many times I been in jail? I don't know, I was locked up so much it was my second home."
Demar has been taking part in a clinical trial at the US government's National Institutes for Health, near Washington. The study is investigating the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplements on the brain, and the pills that have effected Demar's "miracle" are doses of fish oil.
The results emerging from this study are at the cutting edge of the debate on crime and punishment. In Britain we lock up more people than ever before. Nearly 80,000 people are now in our prisons, which reached their capacity this week.
But the new research calls into question the very basis of criminal justice and the notion of culpability. It suggests that individuals may not always be responsible for their aggression. Taken together with a study in a high-security prison for young offenders in the UK, it shows that violent behaviour may be attributable at least in part to nutritional deficiencies. Research with British and US offenders suggests nutritional deficiencies may play a key role in aggressive bevaviour ... more -
Barack @ Google
Barack Obama unveils his innovation platform at Google
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How Do More Than 240 Million People With Diabetes Feel?
There are over 240 million people affected by diabetes worldwide. This video shows how they feel.
To produce this piece, we pulled from over 120 photos that were submitted by members of TuDiabetes.com between August and November, 2007 for the Word In Your Hand project:
http://tudiabetes.com/forum/topic/show?id=583967%3ATopi...
Music by Albert Chen:
http://tudiabetes.com/profile/Soloban1
Video edited by Luis Garcia:
http://tudiabetes.com/profile/ie89master
If you are touched by diabetes, join:
http://tudiabetes.com There are over 240 million people affected by diabetes worldwide. This video shows how they feel. ... more -
FInd out about prescription drugs good and bad from patients!
Find out about prescription drugs. This is a great resource!
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Diabetes By Numbers PSA
Over 6 million people are diagnosed with diabetes every year. Here are things you can do to help:
http://www.tudiabetes.com/video/video/show?id=583967:Vi...
This PSA was shot as part of the activities at Full Sail (an Entertainment Media college in Orlando, FL), for World Diabetes Day (Nov. 14, 2007). Shooting and editing was done by Brett Novak, a Digital Art & Design student at Full Sail.
Video: http://BrettNovak.com
Music: http://www.2litros.com Over 6 million people are diagnosed with diabetes every year. Here are things you can do to help: ... more -
Being fat is still unhealthy, experts warn
Being overweight may not kill you, but it could lead to obesity, U.S. health experts cautioned on Wednesday in response to research suggesting that being a bit heavy does not raise the risk of death. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that being overweight did not increase the risk of dying from heart disease and cancer. Being overweight may not kill you, but it could lead to obesity, U.S. health experts cautioned on Wednesday in response to research su... more
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SICKO now available on DVD
Our current system is not working. Michael Moore hits another home run with his latest movie, SICKO. An absolute must see. Although I already downloaded this from the internet, I'm ordering my official copy today, to show my support for Michael Moore. Michael Moore is one of my heroes. I still can't believe Farenheight 911 didn't win an Academy Award. It was too real for people, so they had to focus on Michael's opinions presented in the movie and say, "see he's just biased!"
Focus on the facts?, oh no, let's focus on the movie makers opinion.
SICKO, like Fahrenheit 911, is ironclad, but attack away you "Richie Riches" and cronies. Our current system is not working. Michael Moore hits another home run with his latest movie, SICKO. An absolute must see. Although... more -
Turtle Island Project: U.S. ignores poverty, teen suicide, racism on Native Americ...
Racism, poverty, teen suicide on reservations, the derogatory perversion of American Indian names on Minnesota rivers and other locations across the country, and learning respect for the environment from Earth-based cultures were among the topics discussed at a Native American Roundtable held in northern Michigan.
TIP volunteer media advisor Greg Peterson reports on the roundtable.
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Inaugural Grand Island Conference in northern Michigan addressed racism, poverty, teen suicide, derogatory location names, and other issues; Centering prayer, Celtic spiritual issues discussed during Turtle Island Project conference
(Munising, Michigan) - Racism, poverty, teen suicide on reservations, the derogatory perversion of American Indian names on Minnesota rivers and other locations across the country, and learning respect for the environment from Earth-based cultures were among the topics discussed at a Native American Roundtable held Sept 13-15, 2007 in northern Michigan.
Sponsored by the Turtle Island Project, a non-profit based in the Upper Peninsula, the conference was held at the Eden on the Bay Lutheran Church in Munising.
The reasons for a shocking increase in teen suicides at American Indian reservations was discussed including the 600 attempts and 15 deaths over the past two years at the Lakota Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. The discussion included whether media coverage of the suicides would be different if the victims were white teenagers.
The TIP will bring more details on this effort in the near future, however the Rosebud official said the U.S. government has been ignoring requests for addition counselors and the four current counselors badly need help because each has over 100 teen cases.
The TIP believes this is another example of low-income Native Americans being overlook, yet the situation would make national headlines if the deaths were affluent white teens.
"I think one of the main reasons for suicide is loss of identity and hope and with that comes deep despair," said Pat Cornish-Hall, a Munising resident who is just discovering her mother's Native American heritage. I do believe that poverty certainly has an effect on suicide.
Counselor Joni Peffers of Gwinn said the media should report on the trends of teen suicides in their area but not give the individual details of each attempt or death.
"Each suicide should not be publicized for many reasons," said Peffers, owner of Celtic Cove Counseling at K.I. Sawyer.
TIP co-founder Rev. Dr. Lynn Hubbard said wars across the globe have been started in the name of religion - but that is not the case with Native Americans who fought over the theft of land or hunting rights, never over differences in religious belief.
"Native Americans never started a war over religious ideology," said Rev. Hubbard, TIP director and pastor of Eden on the Bay Lutheran church.
The perversion of the original Native American name of Minnesota's Rum River and similar derogatory names was placed on the agenda at the request of Thomas Dahlheimer, director of the Rum River Name Change Organization Inc. in Wahkon, Minnesota.
Minnesota State Rep. Mike Joros, D-Duluth, recently introduced a bill that would change 14 derogatory geographic place names that are offensive to American Indians.
The Rum River in Minnesota was named by whites referring to alcohol "spirits" instead of the original American Indian name that meant "Great Spirit."
"Two of these derogatory names were changed from the sacred Ojibwe name for their Great Spirit (Manido) to Devil, as was the custom throughout our nation," said Dahlheimer. "Racial hatred was why many geographic site names were changed from Native peoples' names for the Great Spirit to Devil."
Hubbard said one of the goals of the TIP is to "give Native Americans a venue in which their voices can be heard and listened to." Racism, poverty, teen suicide on reservations, the derogatory perversion of American Indian names on Minnesota rivers and other locati... more -
Balance in Healthcare
While I think everyone should be insured, there needs to be a balance between privatized and public health insurance.
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What do Prostate Cancer and WMDs have in common?
Rudy seems to be lining up behind George in fixing the facts around the policy. Since Rudy seems to be against a national healthcare system, what better way to get around it then by scaring you? You'd think twice about it if you thought you were twice as likely to die of prostate cancer in the UK then here in the US, wouldn't you... Well you probably would. . . IF IT WERE TRUE.
This article exposes a recent statement by Rudy that just isn't true. Rudy seems to be lining up behind George in fixing the facts around the policy. Since Rudy seems to be against a national healthcare ... more -
We need universal coverage yesterday
We have "first class" health insurance and its a complete joke. We pay thousands of dollars annually for coverage that barely covers. We have "first class" health insurance and its a complete joke. We pay thousands of dollars annually for coverage that bare... more
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Something's Gotta Give
As a Canadian living in the U.S., I've always been shocked at the health care system - or lack thereof - in this country. Services for the poor are practically non-existent, and even those with full-time jobs often find their monthly premiums too expensive to carry. Those who are "fully covered" (is there even such a thing?) often find themselves mired in medical bills and "deductibles" in the thousands of dollars, for simple check-ups or lab tests.
Something has to change! Social services are a right, not a privilege. As a Canadian living in the U.S., I've always been shocked at the health care system - or lack thereof - in this country. Service... more
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Health Care System
