Supervisors at Abington Memorial Hospital in Philadelphia have explained that they sought only to avoid a confrontation when they told African American employees to stay out of a patient's room after a man ordered that no blacks assist in the delivery of his child.
Philadelphia Inquirer, Oct. 3, 2003
NAACP wants hospital supervisors punished
Local leaders call for Abington hospital to discipline those who told minority staffers to stay out of a patient's room.
Local NAACP leaders yesterday called on Abington Memorial Hospital to discipline supervisors who told minority employees to stay out of a patient's room after a man demanded that only white staffers assist in the delivery of his baby.
( By Oliver Prichard, Inquirer Staff Writer, 10/04/2003 03:01 AM EDT)
We as nurses need not have such a pacifist attitude towards this individual, he is a RACIST and his behaviour should not have been encouraged, unless this racism is condone by this hospital in question. I don't belive anyone is forcing themselves on anyone when you make a decision to come to the hospital you are sick and need the service of the Medical PROFESSIONALS that practice at that Hospital, regardless of the color of their skin, he should have been told to go to an all white hospital.
Wasn't the hospital accomodating the pt's family member rather than the pt?
I wonder what the little ole' wifey had to say about the whole thing.
Very pathetic, but a birth situation is different than a "regular" medical situation.
When I gave birth, I could not stand my nurse (she was a friend of my MIL's too). Was not racially motivated I swear. She was just obnoxious. I told my CNM to get rid of her and she did ).
I think the guy is a slimeball, but believe that his wife (not him) was within her rights (if she had the same bass ackwards way of thinking as him), don't know if he had the same rights though. This could be a very long discussion.
We had a liver CA pt come into the ER in need of a pericentesis. Equipment is set up and the moment of truth arrives. The man removes his shirt to reveal a huge tatoo mural of nazi symbols with the words "white power" above. The ER md was Hispanic, the charge nurse was African American, the nurse caring for the pt was Korean American. When the pt saw me passing by in the hallway, he asked if I would care for him, disregarding the amused glances of everyone in the room. I said, "Well, I thought I would be your last choice." The pt assured me that I was his preference. "Okay, but I think you should know that I'm pretty pale for a Jew." After that, everyone lost it. We all stood in a circle laughing.
I think this guy limiting racial categories involved in the wife's delivery needed a dose of laughter. "Sir, I'm sorry. This is 2003 and we've come to recognise that all life came from Africa. Hee, hee, hee." "Requests such as that have been outlawed by the Homeland Security department and HIPPA, hee, hee, hee." I can't believe the hospital caved in to this foolishness. Pathetic!
Just wondering.... Aside from the ethical issues which have already been discussed, don't businesses that accept government contracts have to abide by nondiscrimination policies, or risk losing the contract? Since hospitals receive huge amounts of Medicare and Medicaid funding, shouldn't this rule also apply to them? Maybe JCAHO needs to focus on this.
In our local newspaper this morning is a letter to the editor from a male nurse who's worked at Abington Hospital 20-plus-years who says he's often been discriminated against by people saying they don't want a male nurse. Neither racial nor sexual nor any discrimination is tolerable, but his point is that discrimination is discrimination, but refusing a male nurse seems to be frequently tolerated by hospitals.
Maybe hospitals can require pts and families members to read and sign a type of "informed consent" stating that the pt has been informed of and is aware that their care may involve people of both sexes, and any and all ethnicities, national origins, religions, etc. and that the pt and family must accept this in order to receive care there.
Of course, these forms could not be used in emergency situations, but regulations implying consent in an emergency may already exist.
The pts and families should be cordially invited to seek care elsewhere if they have aproblem with it.
(((claps))) I was thinking the same thing Hellllllo Nurse as I read through all this.Pts have to sign other consents upon admission..so what's one more..If they don't agree with the policy,they are free to find health care elsewhere.
Meanwhile, as the hospital and stressed-out staff are skewered in the press and community, the jerk who started it all is home, safe in HIPAA anonymity, probably laughing himself into a hernia...
We can hope. No, scratch that, who'd want to deal with him as a patient??
He's not going to change, he's not going to be reprimanded, counseled, or punished. And he's gained bragging rights in his "circle."
The sad part is he isn't the first, and he certainly won't be the last, no matter what policies are set. Can you imagine the flak if the supervisors had told him and his wife to hit the road?
Clearly the patient's husband made a racist request and unfortunately, in this consumer driven business, patients can request whatever they want. Patient rights allow them to request the care providers they feel most comfortable with; this is their call, not ours. It may be very wrong, but it is their right to be wrong. I think the hospital did the only thing they could to both appease the patient and protect their employees. They didn't violate their policy.....I'll bet that policy is written to ensure that PATIENTS are not discriminated against, not employees. And if the same situation happened tomorrow, what else could the hospital do? We can't reeducate these bigots in a hospital stay. Do we really want the patient upset and looking for problems? Do we really want our co-workers subjected to this demeaning behavior?
Specializes in Geriatrics, Pediatrics, Home Health.
Ok at the risk of getting lambasted here is my opinion.
1.) The OB supervisor SUGGESTED that Black workers stay out of this patient's room.
2.) If the man was a member of the KKK, then it was a violation of his RELIGION to have a minority touch his child/wife.
3.) If the hospital had forced the issue and a Black worker was hurt/killed, who do you think would take the blame? The OB supervisor!!
4.) If the administration had told the man and his family to go elsewhere, then the hospital would have been sued for discrimination.
5. People who are bigots are usually full of hate and will think NOTHING of attacking the person who affronted them.
I am, as Tiger Wood described himself, a cablasian. I had an Indian dr. who delivered all 3 of my boys. My delivery dr. for my daughter was female. My Father had a male nurse when he had by-pass surgery.I am by no means a bigot. I also am 1/8 Native American. If I was a nurse at this hospital, I would have THANKED the supervisor for giving me a heads up on the bigot. I have seen what hatred can do, and my life is valuable to me. If the man doesn't want someone like me, then so be it! I DO NOT care! I think we are making a mountain out of a molehill.
The last time I checked, Americans still had the freedom to choose. According to this article, the workers at that hospital just lost their freedom. The hospital can give all the sensitivity BS thay want to...but they are giving it to the WRONG people! The nurses did NOT discriminate, they just followed the suggestions of the supervisor and stayed out of a potentially violent situation.
Racism is everywhere just like ignorance. If the patient doesn't want a certain healthcare professional taking care of them, it' safest for that healthcare professional not to go into that pt's room. However, as soon as patient is stable, let them know that there is zero tolerance in that facility for racism and request that they are go elsewhere for their healthcare, facilitating a transfer if possible.
Part of the situation that allowed this to go on was in the interest of staff safety supposedly.
It seems to me that people are forgetting one of our primary functions as nursing professionals is that of PATIENT ADVOCATE!
Regardless of whether or not we agree with the patient's wishes or opinions, it is our professional duty to act as client advocates. This includes making the hospital environment as comfortable as possible for our patients, regardless of the source of their discomfort.
While this father's opinions may be disagreeable to others, it is his right as a client to be served by us as professionals and by the hospital involved.
Those who call him unpleasant names and condemn him for his opinions are no better than he is and have forgotten their professionalism. This is not an issue of racism, it's an issue of client rights in the health care system.
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chase
9 Posts
We as nurses need not have such a pacifist attitude towards this individual, he is a RACIST and his behaviour should not have been encouraged, unless this racism is condone by this hospital in question. I don't belive anyone is forcing themselves on anyone when you make a decision to come to the hospital you are sick and need the service of the Medical PROFESSIONALS that practice at that Hospital, regardless of the color of their skin, he should have been told to go to an all white hospital.