Ebola in the US is getting some help along the way by racism, extreme capitalism and a dose of good old fashioned stupidity. Wall of text follows. Commissioner John Wiley Price said race and a lack of insurance played into Presbyterian’s decision not to admit Duncan when he first showed up at the hospital’s emergency room on Sept. 26. Duncan, who complained of abdominal pain and a slight fever, told a nurse he had recently been in Africa, according to the hospital. He was sent home with antibiotics, only to return by ambulance two days later. “We know why what happened at Presbyterian happened,” Price said. “It is historical what has happened in this community. If a person who looks like me shows up without insurance, they don’t get the same treatment.” The hospital released a response to Price’s accusation through spokesman Wendell Watson: “Mr. Duncan was treated the way any other patient would have been treated, regardless of nationality or ability to pay for care. We have a long history of treating a multicultural community in this area.” The hospital has not explained why Duncan was discharged on the first visit, despite clear guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say he should have been hospitalized and isolated. In fact, a doctor treating Duncan at Presbyterian refused Tuesday to answer questions at a hearing of the state Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Pulmonologist Gary Weinstein told senators that he couldn’t talk about initial treatment decisions. “Events preceding his first admission are being thoroughly reviewed,” he said. ‘No misstep’ Price and county health director Zachary Thompson both defended the response by local health officials, once the infection was identified. “There was no misstep by Dallas County Health and Human Services staff. And I will defend that. I will call the individual out personally that they are lying,” Thompson said. The health department learned of the possible virus on Sept. 29, Thompson said. It briefed the Commissioners Court the next day — the same day the virus was confirmed. One day after that, a health department official notified members of the family that had been staying with Duncan that they needed to stay in their apartment, he said. However, officials didn’t immediately guard the apartment to make sure people who were supposed to be isolated stayed inside. One child who was supposed to stay home showed up for school the next day. Sheriff’s deputies sent into Duncan’s apartment to serve a containment warrant that ordered the other occupants not to leave were not told about possible health risks nor given gloves or other protective gear. #ebola #nukethesitefromorbititstheonlywaytomakesure
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 13:01:14 +0000
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