Last Sunday the NY Times published an article that really disturbed me:
I am in the process of establishing my non-profit organization for Patient Advocacy and this is why… I want people to know that they are worth more than this! A VIP patient? There should be no such concept! Every single patient should be treated equal.
I remember watching Bill Maher a while back and he was interviewing Chris Rock who was telling a story about the healthcare he was exposed to with his sick mother before he became famous while he was still “poor”,and many years later with his father when he was a rich celebrity. Chris Rock said that his mother’s condition was not life or death, he felt that she could’ve been saved but they weren’t offered the treatment she needed because of their financial status and his mom eventually died from complications of her condition. Years later his father was extremely ill and close to death, much sicker than Rock’s mom had been, but because of his celebrity status, everything was done to save his father. They were offered things you couldn’t imagine, and his dad lived. Chris Rock said that if the general public knew of this huge difference in the way the rich and the poor are treated in hospitals there would be “riots in the streets”. So I ask, where are these riots? This article is evidence of this disparity. This is happening! Where is the anger? Where is everyone when it comes time to advocate for ourselves, to demand better? We must demand better!
The money and effort put into making these VIP areas should instead be used to renovate, update, and innovate the entire hospital floor by floor (beginning with the unacceptable state of the Emergency Rooms at Columbia Presb). We, the people, need to demand this of our doctors and institutions. You cannot be afraid to ask for things! Stand up for yourself! We have the power of the Internet to share our experiences and we should all start journaling our hospital and doctor visits; how we are treated, the state of the hospitals, etc. Doctors, nurses, and staff should be held accountable for making you as comfortable as possible. The boards of all hospitals should get reports from “real” patients about their experiences.
I suggest you print out this article and keep it in your bag, and if you should ever find yourself hospitalized or in an ER, hand this to your nurse and doctor and whoever else you can find and request that you be sent to one of these rooms… for free.
