Five More Lakeland Hospital Monumental Travesties
From Joyce Carter: My sister had a baby and during the birth, the doctor broke the baby's neck and arm. Lakeland released the dead baby to Pathology after keeping her in OB for a week. My sister has the medical and autopsy reports stating the placenta couldn't be found. Lakeland is covering up the death. My sister has made several complaints to no avail.
One husband, overwhelmed by the pressuring of the staff to move his wife into a Lakeland facility, asked for help. I was not shocked by what I heard since I had heard it many times in the past. When he was not persuaded by all the medical phrases such as your wife needs this medically, the doctor has ordered this, or we are only trying to do what is best for your wife medically, the discharger planner turned to another pressure tactic: financial reasons. She began to tell him Medicare would not pay for the medical services needed without being an inpatient at Berrien Center. As she started to list all the services that Medicare would pay for, I would simply say that is not true. It is time the patients have a choice, not just Lakeland's choice.
From anonymous: My baby died at Lakeland. The hospital claims he had a bad heart, yet no doctor ever stated this. The service was generally always bad. We do not have the resources to fight Lakeland. My baby is gone and if I had known what I know now, I would have taken him to Kalamazoo. I will never go to Lakeland again.
From Kea: I took my 7 month old baby to the emergency room in 2010 where he was misdiagnosed. Both the nurse and doctor were horribly rude. They forced fluid down his throat so he would vomit. The nurse made us keep giving him fluids. He was diagnosed with an ear infection which he didn't have. The pharmecist told us the prescribed medication was too strong for a baby. I had to rush him to Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo where he stayed for 10 days and almost died.
From Dee: I am still dealing with the mistreatment I received while in the emergency room. I made formal complaints on three different occasions, talked with a Ms. Dew about the "service," but it's only gotten worse.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
St. Joseph, Michigan 2011 Summer Programs for Kids
NO CHARGE
5 hours everyday for seven weeks - a variety of games: soccer, dodge ball, etc.
$35.00
1 hour everyday for seven weeks - various levels of tennis lessons
Benton Harbor, Michigan 2011 Summer Programs for Kids
None.
The neighboring towns of SJ and BH offer perhaps the clearest example of institutionalized racism on the planet.
NO CHARGE
5 hours everyday for seven weeks - a variety of games: soccer, dodge ball, etc.
$35.00
1 hour everyday for seven weeks - various levels of tennis lessons
Benton Harbor, Michigan 2011 Summer Programs for Kids
None.
The neighboring towns of SJ and BH offer perhaps the clearest example of institutionalized racism on the planet.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The Koch Brothers and St. Joe's Rep. Fred Upton
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-koch-brothers-20110206,0,7986328,print.story
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-koch-brothers-20110206,0,7986328,print.story
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Killer Hospital in St. Joseph, Michigan
In Benton Harbor, the everyday vernacular for Lakeland Hospital has been "Killer Hospital" for eight or so years.
Sensationalism is not what we're after here, only truth. It is in this spirit we post another group of BH residents' experiences at Lakeland.
The BH community is well aware of what people go through at Lakeland; these unfortunate events should not remain concealed.
We are awaiting word from Lakeland that the hospital is using part of their enormous profits to hire an outside investigation of these allegations. It is well beyond the point at which an inside investigation would be appropriate.
1. Mr. Sawyer, age 20, was given incorrect diagnosis and medication. He died in the hospital. His family stated that white nurses were very disrespectful and forced the family out of the hospital after the death.
2. L. Anderson accompanied her mother to Lakeland to have a toe removed. The doctor mistakenly took off half of another toe as well. The patient was extremely upset. Smiling and laughing, the nurses joked about this patient having only three and a half toes.
3. Derrick Atkins had a kidney transplant in Chicago. Back home he wasn't feeling well so his wife Debra took him to Lakeland. His previous surgery was obvious to medical staff, but Debra reminded them anyways that her husband now required special medication. Incorrect medication was given to him. His wife took him to Chicago where doctors stated that Lakeland should have known better. He died in the Chicago hospital. Debra stated that Lakeland nurses and the doctor were unprofessional and rude.
4. Ora G. had a blood clot and was in a serious and dangerous health situation when she was taken to the Lakeland Intensive Care Unit. She was in pain and calling for help when a nurse arrived and said, "Don't you know we have other patients? I'll get to you when I can."
Information for Lakeland Hospital:
All patients have the right to freedom of choice of providers. Discharged planners/case managers have legal and ethical obligations to honor this right.
All patients have a common law right based upon court decisions to control the care provided to them, including who renders it. Thus, when patients, regardless of payer source or type of care, voluntarily express preferences for providers, their choices must be honored.
Federal statutes of the Medicare and Medicaid programs guarantee Medicare beneficaries and Medicaid recipients the right to freedom of choice of providers. When Medicare and Medicaid patients voluntarily express a preference for a home health agency, these choice must be honored. [Lakeland does not honor these choices.]
The balanced budget act of 1997 requires hospitals to develop a list of home health agencies and meet the following criteria: 1-Are Medicare certified,
2- Provide service in geographic areas where patients reside, and ask to be on the list.
In Benton Harbor, the everyday vernacular for Lakeland Hospital has been "Killer Hospital" for eight or so years.
Sensationalism is not what we're after here, only truth. It is in this spirit we post another group of BH residents' experiences at Lakeland.
The BH community is well aware of what people go through at Lakeland; these unfortunate events should not remain concealed.
We are awaiting word from Lakeland that the hospital is using part of their enormous profits to hire an outside investigation of these allegations. It is well beyond the point at which an inside investigation would be appropriate.
1. Mr. Sawyer, age 20, was given incorrect diagnosis and medication. He died in the hospital. His family stated that white nurses were very disrespectful and forced the family out of the hospital after the death.
2. L. Anderson accompanied her mother to Lakeland to have a toe removed. The doctor mistakenly took off half of another toe as well. The patient was extremely upset. Smiling and laughing, the nurses joked about this patient having only three and a half toes.
3. Derrick Atkins had a kidney transplant in Chicago. Back home he wasn't feeling well so his wife Debra took him to Lakeland. His previous surgery was obvious to medical staff, but Debra reminded them anyways that her husband now required special medication. Incorrect medication was given to him. His wife took him to Chicago where doctors stated that Lakeland should have known better. He died in the Chicago hospital. Debra stated that Lakeland nurses and the doctor were unprofessional and rude.
4. Ora G. had a blood clot and was in a serious and dangerous health situation when she was taken to the Lakeland Intensive Care Unit. She was in pain and calling for help when a nurse arrived and said, "Don't you know we have other patients? I'll get to you when I can."
Information for Lakeland Hospital:
All patients have the right to freedom of choice of providers. Discharged planners/case managers have legal and ethical obligations to honor this right.
All patients have a common law right based upon court decisions to control the care provided to them, including who renders it. Thus, when patients, regardless of payer source or type of care, voluntarily express preferences for providers, their choices must be honored.
Federal statutes of the Medicare and Medicaid programs guarantee Medicare beneficaries and Medicaid recipients the right to freedom of choice of providers. When Medicare and Medicaid patients voluntarily express a preference for a home health agency, these choice must be honored. [Lakeland does not honor these choices.]
The balanced budget act of 1997 requires hospitals to develop a list of home health agencies and meet the following criteria: 1-Are Medicare certified,
2- Provide service in geographic areas where patients reside, and ask to be on the list.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Courageous Benton Harbor residents make names public
If you know the history of Berrien County, you know why it takes courage
---The nurses in the ER (not in the entire hospital - our mistake) were all white in the stories told by those who attended the NAACP meeting called by Rev. Pinkney---
Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph, Michigan has been commonly referred to as "Killer Hospital" by the residents of Benton Harbor. This nickname has prevailed for about eight years.
Here are four more experiences shared at the NAACP meeting last Saturday. Names have been added to stories in the post below this.
1. Mr. Sims, who at this moment is fighting for his life, was a patient at Lakeland, and was misdiagnosed and given the wrong medication. He's now in the hospital in Ann Arbor.
2. Mr. Abdullah: After a simple, non-life threatening operation, he was given a blood thinner by a nurse which caused a blood clot. Abdullah is now unable to walk.
3. Mr. Swife (pronounced Swif) had pain in his arm. A spinal treatment was administered which included a long session of poking up and down his spine. Swife was unable to walk for 4 weeks. A white nurse was everything but friendly towards him.
4. Sally Smith reported for her husband Bradley: Mr. Smith was in ICU - his infection resolved, dyspnea (difficult breathing) unexplained, and surgical procedure to repair his heart valve pending - when he stopped breathing in early morning. He was put on a ventilator and his wife was called. She was treated rudely by a nurse who asked, "What do you want the hospital to do? Pull the plug?"
If you know the history of Berrien County, you know why it takes courage
---The nurses in the ER (not in the entire hospital - our mistake) were all white in the stories told by those who attended the NAACP meeting called by Rev. Pinkney---
Lakeland Hospital in St. Joseph, Michigan has been commonly referred to as "Killer Hospital" by the residents of Benton Harbor. This nickname has prevailed for about eight years.
Here are four more experiences shared at the NAACP meeting last Saturday. Names have been added to stories in the post below this.
1. Mr. Sims, who at this moment is fighting for his life, was a patient at Lakeland, and was misdiagnosed and given the wrong medication. He's now in the hospital in Ann Arbor.
2. Mr. Abdullah: After a simple, non-life threatening operation, he was given a blood thinner by a nurse which caused a blood clot. Abdullah is now unable to walk.
3. Mr. Swife (pronounced Swif) had pain in his arm. A spinal treatment was administered which included a long session of poking up and down his spine. Swife was unable to walk for 4 weeks. A white nurse was everything but friendly towards him.
4. Sally Smith reported for her husband Bradley: Mr. Smith was in ICU - his infection resolved, dyspnea (difficult breathing) unexplained, and surgical procedure to repair his heart valve pending - when he stopped breathing in early morning. He was put on a ventilator and his wife was called. She was treated rudely by a nurse who asked, "What do you want the hospital to do? Pull the plug?"
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