On
January 16, 2014 my sister Peggy's husband Charles was taken to the
hospital by ambulance, after suffering a set back from the Bone Marrow
Transplant that he received March 14, 2014, and had been fighting for a
return to a normal LIFE.
When I was called by Peggy to tell me what was going on, I told her that Shanna, my eldest daughter and I were on our way to the hospital in Denver on 17th street right away. It was then she told me that my mother and her companion Jim were also on their way, as was my Niece ... Kristina.
It was in the mid afternoon, when we arrived and where we were directed to the emergency room where Charlie laid in a hospital bed as my mother, Jim, Peggy and Kristina were sitting and standing around his bed, surrounded by curtains.
It
was one of the 'Open Rooms' where the curtains divide the patients, so
there is very little privacy and where people can very easily over hear
elements of other people's conversations.
Once Shanna and I arrived ... there was hardly much room to do much but stand on the edges of the room as the curtains remained open to the others milling about in the hustle and bustle of the hospital emergency room.
As the family visited with Charles, while waiting on results to come back from the doctor ... Peggy had made not only an observation, but a comment to not only me, but to our family that; because of the lack of privacy, the nurse in the next room, separated by only curtains was obtaining information from the patient, and said; "I now know everything there is to know about the patient in the next room, and if I were up to no good ... could use that information, if I wanted to."
I said, "You know that is what they call a HIPPA violation" and Peggy said "Yes I know ... that's why I brought it up, because I told the nurse that I could overhear what was going on."
No
one really paid very much attention to the comment at the time, other than it
was something to make note of, when information was being discussed about
Charles' condition.
As
we were visiting with Chuck and waiting ... an elderly woman patient was being
wheeled into the hallway and placed in front of the nurses station, adjacent to
Charles' room which was off to the side by about 15 to 20 feet.
From the onset, the woman was already wailing and very disgruntled with the manner in which the nurses and attendants were treating her, and was voicing her dissatisfaction vocally. Of course it appeared she may have been somewhat medicated because of her slurred speech and the responses that she delivered in response to the couple of nurses directives.
The commotion was hardly anything but disruptive to the scene, and caused my family to turn and witness the events, being as close ... but still far enough away as to not become involved, but clearly unable to distance ourselves as the 'Drama' began to unfold.
While we stood on the perimeter of Charles' room ... it became apparent that the elderly patient was becoming more irate as the nurses were working to keep her under control, because she was complaining of hunger, pain and being in the hospital since the early morning hours.
It was about that time, we noticed that the supervisory nurse called for security to control the patient, and where approximately three male security individuals were immediately on the scene surrounding the patient.
My family and I were surprised by the show of 'Force' since the elderly woman could not have been more than a hundred pounds and only about five foot tall at best. The action itself caused a few remarks among our group, if the elderly woman was really as dangerous as they were implying.
As we stood off to the side, the commotion was escalated by the woman's cries for something to eat while she waited, only to be met with what we felt was a beginning of 'Verbal Abuse' from the main nurse, kept telling her that she was going to have to wait for the doctor.
Meanwhile, as we stood at the edge of Charles' room, I noticed a third security guard pointing in our direction, at which time a young black security officer turned and approached me as I stood there with my family.
I watched as he approached me, and noticed he motioned to my phone as I was holding it in my hand, "Are you recording this on video?"
I said "No" and he turned and walked back to the scene.
We continued visiting with Charles, as a little more time elapsed and the scene continued with the patient and the increasingly frustrated nurse surrounded by the security staff and other nurses.
There was no doubt that the patient was trying to move around, asking for a sandwich, a drink and something for the pain while the nurse battled back with her comments ... but it seemed to be getting a little worse. It was then that another nurse had brought some water and crackers hoping to appease the patient ... who verbally said; "Fuck Your Crackers! I need a sandwich!"
The comment brought chuckles to my family whose faces were grimacing, because we had felt the entire scenario could have been handled in a better fashion, and the little ol' lady's responses were in direct correlation to the manner in which she was being treated.
At the time ... we were not involved, not until as I stood at the edge of Charles' room with my back to the scene speaking to my family ... when I was suddenly 'Ambushed' by the nurse dealing with the patient who approached me and got right into my face, saying; "Sir, you are not allowed to be video tapping in this hospital!"
I backed up and said "Mame, I'm not video tapping anything!"
She, and I do not know her name to this day, came back saying; "You cannot be holding a phone in that manner."
It was at that moment I held up the phone showing her that there was no video taping, but she seemed unsatisfied and made some comments to the young black security guard who had approached me earlier, who I overheard asking; "Should I escort him from the premises?"
My family were to say at the least; 'Shocked' that this nurse had violated my space and was accusing me of videotaping the scene and was now wanting the security to 'Escort Me from the Property.'
As that happened as fast as it did, we were already getting ready to leave, and while Shanna and Kristina were commenting on the actions, I merely turned and said to them; "That's Okay, I'm going to Leave and I will meet you guys outside."
It looked as if the security guard was calling others on the radio as I began walking out of the emergency room, saying; "There's no need to call for an escort, I'm leaving."
As I walked down the hall, I felt the need to tell a hospital administrator about the incident that had happened, and how I was being dragged into it by the nurse and security, merely because I was holding a 'Phone.'
As I got to the front of the hospital, I asked the receptionist if I may speak to a hospital administrator about an incident that my family and I had witnessed in the emergency room while visiting with my family member.
Of course, the receptionist was very kind and called for her superiors while I waited in the lobby. After about five minutes or so, two elderly women approached me with several security guards. I was immediately surprised but asked to speak with them in private over the matters that happened in the emergency room. They declined as the security guards hovered about five feet away and in ear shot ... which I felt was violating the privacy, but continued on with 'Alerting' the administrators in what I not only witnessed, but now had become an unwitting player.
Of course, they were already aware and had made the comment in the form of a question, that; "Yes we are aware that you were asked to leave because you were video taping?"
"Absolutely not, I am here because I asked to see you so that I
could make you aware of what my family and I witnessed, and how I was
approached and accused of something that is wholly untrue."
As it came down to it, I had a conversation with the two, and only gave them my first name and wanted to bring to their attention that what we witnessed could be considered 'Abusive Behavior' and that the 'HIPPA RULES' were being violated by their staff. In the course of the conversation ... I mentioned to the hospital administrators that it was not only myself, but my daughter, my sister and my niece who were all privy to what had transpired, not including my mother and her friend Jim ... and that they too, Shanna and Kristina were going to formally make it known to them as a matter of record.
It seemed that as I spoke, the hospital administrators were wanting to make it known that recording in the hospital was against the rules, in which I re[lied ... "Okay, then if you're worried over patient's being recorded, then all devices should be checked since my family had overheard the entire patient scenario next to us, and witnessed the actions in the hallway ... and because each of us may have been carrying phones ... does not make us guilty of violating any laws."
It was a conversation in which I felt I was doing some good in bringing the matter to their attention, as well as did my daughter and niece in a separate meeting with them, approximately 10 minutes afterward.
At no time, during my conversation with the administrators was I told that I was not allowed on the property on that day or anytime in the future, or did the hospital administrators tell my daughter and niece that I wasn't allowed on hospital grounds. After all, I was not there to do anything other than be there for my family member, and I was trying to be a 'Good Samaritan' in alerting them to the potential problem we witnessed and eventually became a part ... only because of the nurse and security's insecurities of behavior toward a patient.
In the second meeting with the administrators, after my initial meeting moments earlier ... where Shanna and Kristina were recanting what had happened in the emergency room, both ladies were asking Shanna and Kristina what my last name was, and both said; "No, he did not give it to you, and he doesn't want us to give it you because he doesn't want to get more involved. He was only trying to bring the matter to your attention."
Afterward, Shanna and Kristina mentioned the hospital administrators were of the opinion that there was a video tape of the incident, although Shanna told them, "No ... like he said ... he was not, and there is no recording of the Abusive Behavior."
In their conversation, Shanna had tried to explain to them; "You have to understand my father's mindset. He is of the belief that 'IF' your staff were guilty of abusing patients and 'IF' someone did have a video, then it would have to be proven and ultimately subpoenaed in any court case ... but there's no video."
Shanna and Kristina after their meeting with the administrators, and from: their feelings had made the comment the hospital administrators were obviously worried over what could be negative publicity, and felt that perhaps I was doing something wrong. However ... we left the hospital without much thought of anything ever coming of the incident, which occurred in the late afternoon of January 16, 2014.
Boy, were we surprised.
On March 1, 2014 in the early morning hours, Charles was again rushed to the hospital, and he was quickly admitted to the surgery because of an enormous blood clot and Peggy had called me and Judi crying, telling us that "It doesn't look good for Chuck, and they may have to take his leg ... to try and save his life."
Me, my wife, Judi and daughter Shanna immediately got into the vehicle and were on our way to meet Kristina, Peggy and another friend Joanne at the hospital were they said Chuck was just coming out of surgery and was in the INTENSIVE CARE UNIT on the sixth floor.
We arrived and parked in the covered garage at the hospital and entered the hospital and rode the elevators to the 6th floor and got off and went to the waiting room, where we were immediately turned around by Peggy who said, "they've moved him to a room," and as we began walking down the hall to his room ... we, my entire family and friends were suddenly surrounded by security.
Everyone was surprised, especially when the security said; "Sir, you're not allowed on the premises."
I responded as did my daughter, "Really, why not?"
Suddenly I recognized the young black security guard, but was suddenly being questioned as to who I was, and with statements; :"You were told that you were not allowed on hospital grounds."
I was in the hospital no more than five minutes at the most before being approached with my family being present, and being threatened with the police being called.
It was at that point that I turned telling the security; "At no time was I told that I was not allowed on the premises, and if I would have known ... I would not be here now ... but was here for my family, and not here to cause any problems" and immediately left the premises with my daughter Shanna and niece Kristina following me.
It was on the public sidewalk as I walking back to my vehicle, being followed by family members ... that I was approached by a Denver Police officer. It was before noon on March 1, 2014.
To be
CONTINUED in Un-CONSTITUTIONALLY CAGED
and COOPED - PART TWO
