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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rambi who wrote (76492)	10/5/2003 11:26:17 AM
From: Lane3	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

Oh, my! I'd love to know the story behind that story. That's fascinating, both the request and the hospital's compliance with the request. I've noticed that my hospital is very proactive in advising patients that they can make special requests regarding the treatment environment. There are signs posted and there is a statement on the admittance form. It's fairly prominent. It's only been prominent for a few years. I assumed it was due to the influx of Muslim immigrants in my area and their extra privacy concerns.

To: Rambi who wrote (76492)	10/5/2003 11:36:48 AM
From: Lane3	Respond to of 82486

Here's a bit more detail. Seems to me it depends on how much of an emergency situation it was. Of course, since the patient was in the hospital for a while, it couldn't all have been emergency time. Racism in Area Hospital Patient's Care Restricted to White Employees October 3, 2003 — Abington Memorial Hospital is working its way through an issue of racism. The family member of a patient asked that her care be segregated. Hospital staffers went along to avert any more hostility. Abington Memorial Hospital admits it was wrong for supervisors to go along the demand of a pregnant patient's husband that no black employees assist in the delivery of the child. It happened September 10 when on duty supervisors agreed to prevent blacks and other employees of color from taking part in emergency fetal stress treatment, delivery of the child, and from entering the patient's room during a stay of several days. The ban was on all non-white staffers, including doctors, nurses, and service employees. The hospital concedes it was a clear violation of its non-discrimination policy which in part reads, "employee will be assigned to patient services without regard to the race, creed, color, national origin of religion of either the patient or employee." Angry and humiliated employees have told their story to the NAACP. This incident comes, according to the NAACP, as the hospital tries to mend long strained relations with black employees and African Americans in the patient community who have complained about bad treatment here. Abington Memorial has a workforce that is 24% minority and 19 ½ percent are African-American. The hospital authorities are promising this kind of accommodation of a patient family's wishes won't happen again, no matter how stressful the situation. they hope to head off lawsuits. (Copyright 2003 by Action News. All Rights Reserved.)

To: Rambi who wrote (76492)	10/5/2003 8:25:08 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Wow. That is a fascinating story -- the more so since I know the Abington Hospital, have never been in it but worked and lived nearby it. Oh the other side of the coin, I wonder what would have happened if the hospital had sent a black doctor in to assist at the birth despite the couple's request, and the wife became so emotionally upset at the thought of a black person handling her body and her baby that she miscarried or otherwise did damage to herself or baby through the stress of that on top of the stress of giving birth. Or if the couple, told that their request would be denied and that black staffers would definitely be in the deliverey room, had walked out and given birth in the parking lot and the baby had died. Where would the public sympathy be then? Suppose the woman was in the process of giving birth and a black nurse walked in and at the wife's request the man tried to pick up his wife and carry her out of there -- should he have been restrained by force from removing her? All sorts of really bad possible outcomes seem possible. Definitely harm was done. But was the harm done to the professional staff outweighed by the need to provide acceptable medical care to a woman about to give birth? It raises some fascinating moral, ethical, and pragmatic issues. I see that in this case it was only the husband who articulated the demand, at least according to the story. But if we're going to discuss it, for the sake of the discussion let's assume he was also accurately reflecting his wife's views. Or, if not, then we are faced with the question: assume the hospital knew that the husband would walk out of the delivery room if a black staffer walked in, and assuming that it is beneficial for the wife and child that the father be present at the birth to begin the life bonding process, would it have been morally right for the hospital to send in a black staffer at such a critical time and precipiate a crisis in the woman's and child's lives? Which harm is the more compelling to avoid? Fascinating issues.