Emergency Services
Many people report difficulties or horrific personal experiences after visiting a hospital emergency room whether it is for a psychiatric emergency or a medical emergency. People report the abuse or punitive treatment received once the hospital realizes one is there for a psychiatric emergency. There are also reports of people that go to the ER for a physical ailment and once it is disclosed that one is on psychiatric medication one become's less "credible" and the ailment is either ignored or the person is referred to psych services for a psychiatric evaluation.
One woman that we worked directly with had gone to the hospital because she felt awful, could barely walk, was extremely dizzy, had difficulty seeing and pain on the left side of her body. Once the ER staff knew of her psychiatric "condition" the Dr. stated that she was having a medication reaction, gave her Benadryl and sent her home. The cab driver had to physically help her into her home. The woman continued to feel sick and went back to the hospital and was again told that it's a med reaction and given Benadryl and sent home. It took one of our Advocate's to go to the hospital with the woman and demand medical testing before someone gave this woman the attention that she deserved.
To make a very long story short, she was having a series of strokes! This is just one of the hundreds of stories that we hear about in our region and we receive additional calls from around the nation on this issue. The problem is not getting resolved. In fact it is getting worse as hospitals are being overrun in the emergency rooms with people that are uninsured and/or undocumented. Providers are using ER services to get people in congregate care and difficult to control as a respite or way of getting an individual out of the residence. Families are using the ER's for respite not knowing where else to turn for help. Homeless people are seeking shelter and the list goes on and on. The story of Esmin Green who died in Kings County Hospital recently makes our work even more urgent.
This discussion can become complex depending on the philosophy of the hospital, the community and the people served. There are many variables that contribute to poor services in the ER. However, there are solutions that can significantly improve the quality of care. If you would like to find out more on how to begin developing solutions, please contact PEOPLe, Inc at 845-452-2728 or
stevemiccio@projectstoempower.org
