Michigan hospital sued after honoring woman's request for "white nurse only"

[klone, MSN, RN]

3rd Michigan hospital faces suit alleging it honored patient request for care only by white nurses

In the lawsuit, Teoka Williams, RN, alleges that on Oct. 2 she heard a patient say she did not want any black caregivers. Ms. Williams says she told the clinical manager, who then spoke to the patient. The clinical manager then reportedly told Ms. Williams not to enter the patient's room or care for her. A white nurse was asked to care for the patient.

Ms. Williams also alleges that she told the human resources department about the incident and was told "patient requests are honored all the time and that the next time it happened, she would be taken off the assignment altogether," News 5 Cleveland reports.

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

Wasn't there also a situation a few years ago where a hospital in Flint, Michigan was in the news for honoring a pt request regarding the race of caregivers?

I ask this in all honesty: is there some reason why this is happening so often in the state of Michigan? Not that it does not happen elsewhere, but it seems like Michigan stories seem to be the only ones in the news.

[klone, MSN, RN]

I remember that parents requested a white nurse for their infant in the NICU, but I don't recall where it took place.

[Daisy4RN]

I have heard patients who have told their nurses that want a Hispanic, black, Filipino nurse etc. because they are more comfortable with one "of their own". We have always honored their request when possible. I guess we better re-think that.

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

Thread moved to Nursing News.

[Kyrshamarks, BSN, RN]

So now as a male RN I can sue when a Muslim family only wants a female nurse? Same difference.

[Sour Lemon]

I find these cases interesting. I can't seem to form an opinion about what patients should be "allowed" to request ...but I know that I'd rather not take care of a patient who had an inherent dislike of me from the very beginning.

[llg, PhD, RN]

I find these cases interesting. I can't seem to form an opinion about what patients should be "allowed" to request ...but I know that I'd rather not take care of a patient who had an inherent dislike of me from the very beginning.

Exactly. That's the driving principle hospitals that I have worked for have used when dealing with such requests -- that they are protecting the staff by honoring the request. If a patient is forced to receive care from someone they do not want caring for them, the patient could not only file a lawsuit against the hospital ... but also file charges of assault against the staff member ... or at least level complaint after complaint about the quality of care provided by that individual staff member. Sometimes it is better to honor the patient's request even though the bigotry behind the request goes against our personal beliefs.

I also wouldn't want to provide care for a patient who was "out to get me" for some reason -- not matter how wrong their thinking was.

[Daisy4RN]

Exactly. That's the driving principle hospitals that I have worked for have used when dealing with such requests -- that they are protecting the staff by honoring the request. If a patient is forced to receive care from someone they do not want caring for them, the patient could not only file a lawsuit against the hospital ... but also file charges of assault against the staff member ... or at least level complaint after complaint about the quality of care provided by that individual staff member. Sometimes it is better to honor the patient's request even though the bigotry behind the request goes against our personal beliefs.

I also wouldn't want to provide care for a patient who was "out to get me" for some reason -- not matter how wrong their thinking was.

I agree with you, but I don't understand the legal basis for this nurse being allowed to sue the hospital. If these cases are being upheld in the court then what is the hospital to do, who's "rights" will stand, the patients or the staff.

[Wuzzie]

Why would anyone fight for the right to take care of hateful bigot? Isn't that a bit over the top?

[brownbook]

I wasn't working the night it happened. Many years ago we had a patient in ICU who didn't want a black nurse......ha ha. The staff that night just happened to be 3 black nurses plus a black respiratory therapist. I don't know what happened.

[caliotter3]

I wasn't working the night it happened. Many years ago we had a patient in ICU who didn't want a black nurse......ha ha. The staff that night just happened to be 3 black nurses plus a black respiratory therapist. I don't know what happened.

When our LOL in the LTC facility would request no male caregivers, I always warned them that there could be a situation where only a male caregiver was available. While that was an unlikely scenario, it was a possibility. Boy, talk about telling somebody something they didn't want to hear!