Jamaican migrant, Esmin Green, dies on floor of New York hopsital
Esmin Green was a mother, a friend, and a regular church goer, but most importantly she was a human being, who deserved so much more than the deadly and criminal treatment she received at Kings County Hospital in New York. 49 year-old Esmin Green died alone on the waiting room floor of Kings County Hospital, while awaiting treatment on June 19th. Surveillance video captured Ms. Green suffering from convulsions and subsequently falling from a waiting room chair onto the floor, where she lay for more than hour ignored by hospital staff. Ms Green died there on the hospital floor after waiting over 24 hours for treatment.
The New York Civil Liberties Union has reported that after the hospital realized that Ms. Green was dead, they then falsified records to hide the fact that Green was left unattended for almost an hour. As a result of her death, seven employees have been fired or suspended. The medical examiner’s office is still determining what lead to Green’s death.
Esmin Green was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica and emigrated alone to the US more than 10 years ago, to seek employment to care for her 6 children in Jamaica. Jesus Is Lord Sanctuary Church became not just her church home but family, and it was her Pastor who sought help for her by calling 911, after Ms. Green became emotionally distressed. Esmin Green had suffered a nervous breakdown two years ago and had recently lost her job at a daycare center and was being forced to move, all of which may have lead to her renewed emotional distress.
This entire incident is so sad on so many levels. We all know that the medical system here in the US leaves more than enough to be desired, but to blatantly leave an individual on the floor like nothing more than an animal is beyond understanding. As a doctor medical institution you are charged to not only give medical treatment, but to do no harm, and to leave a patient without any medical treatment is definitely doing harm. I don’t believe that it is enough that those who were involved were simply fired, they should be held to highest standard of the law regarding this incident, as well as the hospital.
Ms. Green’s family is being flown to the US by private donation and NY’s Health and Hospital Corporation is paying all of the funeral expenses of Ms. Green. You can view the surveillance video of Ms. Green’s death, and more importantly her life and family here.
Is the firing and suspension of the individuals involved in Ms. Green’s death enough? Should they be prosecuted/barred from medical service? Are family and friends at fault, (as some commenters have suggested)? Please let me know what you think.
*Update: Here is the link to the CNN article that was done on this incident, so that a more full picture can be given for you to base your thoughts on. Here is an article on her funeral and video.
According to a spokesman for the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation, the chief of psychiatry, chief of security, a doctor, two nurses and two security guards were all fired. This hospital was also sued in 2007 and is currently under investigation for abuse allegations: “In May 2007, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Mental Hygiene Legal Service sued Kings County in federal court, alleging that conditions at the facility are filthy. Patients are often forced to sleep in plastic chairs or on floors covered in urine, feces and blood while waiting for beds, the groups allege, and often go without basic hygiene such as showers, clean linens and clean clothes. The lawsuit claims that patients who complain face physical abuse and are injected with drugs to keep them docile. The hospital, the suit alleges, lacks “the minimal requirements of basic cleanliness, space, privacy, and personal hygiene that are constitutionally guaranteed even to convicted felons.”"
23 comments ↓
“Is the firing of the individuals involved in Ms. Green’s death enough?” That depends on who, exactly, was fired. I read on CNN that the seven individuals involved had either been fired or suspended. Something tells me that the lower-ranked among them took the fall while the doctors were only suspended. What happened to Ms. Green is tragic beyond belief. I just read the account of her funeral on CNN. Her pastor, who called 911 after Ms. Green appeared on her doorstep distraught, referred to her as a “great, great sister in Christ.” Too bad she didn’t bother to offer this great sister in Christ a room and a compassionate ear. Ms. Green had lost her job and apartment, of COURSE she was distraught! Who wouldn’t be? It’s too little too late.
Hospitals, from my experience have never been reliable. A few months back my brother had his finger literally dangling by a piece of skin and when I drove him to the E.R. we had to wait 5 hours in the waiting room without so much as a Tylenol. Then we had to wait for an additional hour in the treatment room until the doctor came to see him.
About 2 years ago my father suffered a stroke at home. The ambulance took him to the hospital at around 6:00 in the mornign and he had to lay there for 3 hours before receiving any attention from a doctor, not to mention that they barely found any room for him. It wasn’t until noon that they began to treat him. With strokes the longer you wait, the more long-term the effects are. Thanks to the oh-so-quick-and-brilliant health care in hospital emergency rooms, my father is now permanently disabled and has no feeling in the entire ride side of the body.
Had the hospital been better organized, my brother would not have to endure several hours worth of the pain of an open wound and my father might have more use of the motor functions in his right side. It is absolutely disgusting how people are treated in hospitals. Even if you arrive by ambulance, you are still left for a few hours without much supervision by the hospital staff. I guess it’s too much to ask from our “leaders” to worry about the domestic issues that affect the American people on a daily basis instead of worrying about issues over seas.
Why immediately blame the doctor? There is nothing in the articles about this event to suggest a Doctor was aware of this patient. In the E.R> I work in the Doctors are not responsible for patients until they are screened by a triage desk and assigned a room. Also, although the hospital clearly behaved shamefully, is it really appropriate to have everyone at the service so outraged. Where where all these concerned family/friends when this poor woman needed help. Nobody in my family has ever waited alone for care in the emergency room, no matter how minor the problem. If your famoly/friends need emergency help you don’t just dump them with strangers and really on the system to take over.
Hi J.E.,
Thanks for stopping by and your thoughts on the issue. To answer your question on who was fired, as you may have already read in the CNN article, a hospital spokesman stated that, “…seven employees have been fired or suspended: the chief of psychiatry, chief of security, a doctor, two nurses and two security guards.” So, it looks like they did a sweep of everyone involved, but as you stated, it is too little too late for Ms. Green and her family.
Hi Mariya,
Thanks for reading and your thoughts on the issue. Your story sounds so just like an experience I had with a cousin of mine. He severed his two middle fingers while working on a lawnmower and was taken to an area hospital here in Dallas. My cousin waited hours with his fingers dangling in iodine in so much pain it was hard to watch, in a hospital room with about 3 other people until a doctor came in and re-attached his fingers. I couldn’t believe that someone with their fingers hanging off would not get immediate medical attention, but my sister is a R.N. and she wasn’t surprised in the least. She basically informed me that if you weren’t in the process of dying and dying loudly enough to get someone’s attention then you’d be pushed aside like nothing more than a plastic plant.
I totally agree with you about the treatment of patients in this country, especially those with no medical care. I’m sorry to hear about your brother and especially your father, a stroke is such a serious thing to go through even when you get proper medical attention. I second your emotion that America should take care of home, we’re attempting to rebuild other countries and interfere in their policies when we can’t even rebuild New Orleans.
Hi A.G.,
Thanks for stopping by, and your thoughts on the issue. According to the hospital, the chief of psychiatry and a doctor were either suspended or fired, so I’m assuming that there was some fault on their parts. (I’ll include a link to the article in a minute.) I also agree with you that you can’t just dump family members on the system, but I don’t think it’s too much to expect for your loved one to be properly attended to when you check them into a hospital.
I’m not in the least bit surprised by this story. I have my own horror stories dealing with hospitals and Doctors like some others here. Don’t expect incidents like this to decrease just because a couple doctors were suspended. In general, people don’t choose to become doctors anymore because they feel a need to help people. They do it for the financial reasons. Me and my family have been treated with nothing but indifference and disrespect by the medical staff when we have had E.R. visits. Unfortunately for this poor woman, with the stigma attached to psychiatric problems, the people who observed her were probably too frightened to help, or thought she was just acting out. That however does not excuse the fact that people should be expected to wait so long for treatment or be treated in such a way when they are seeking EMERGENCY medical attention.
This story made me so sad. I think that hospital, or at least that unit should be shut down! But even that wouldn’t solve this tragic and sad problem. I grieve for this woman, I am also a fairly recent immigrant, who was a single mother when I came here to give my children a better life! As an RN with 37 years experience, I am ashamed of my fellow health care workers. Nursing is suposed to be a passion, a calling. If more people had those attributes, there is no way, someone could have died like that. If she was actually having a seizure, then it is protocol to leave them alone, but safe, and don’t let them harm themselves, until the seizure is over; then transport them quickly to a medical unit, and give them emergency treatment. My thoughts and prayers go out to Esmin Green’s family and friends.
I too say that someone who knew the woman could have gone with her to “protect” her from the system; but really, suppose she walked into that ER off the street on her own, those employees at the hospital are to blame here, sickening and disgusting individuals. I wonder how many of them really lost their jobs; probably the minimum wage earners i.e., security guards and aids, who were obviously screened real well. What about the person that hired them? Or the person that was in charge at the time? It is shame to have an establishment like that open. It should be shut down.
It is obvious that most of you are unaware of the crisis in the healthcare system. If you did, you will realize that most healthcare personnel are overworked. What doctors, nurses and even security guards do on a routine basis is dictated by business decisions that come from management. When there is a fallout, it is the small guy (including doctors) that get blamed instead. In any case, I will say be careful of what you wish for. Shut or close down the hospital and you will leave members of that county looking for care elsewhere…maybe traveling to another county for medical care since most hospitals are in the red already and it is likely the county can build another. Change comes for dealing with the problem and not simply assuming that doctors, nurses and even the security guards are heartless individuals.
That should read “maybe traveling to another county for medical care since most hospitals are in the red already and it is unlikely the county can build another”
Where was her family or her friends?…nice daughter, hasn’t seen mom in 8 years….although the hospital is at fault….why was this woman alone to begin with. Shame on her family.
Gertie, Judy, Rebecca, Mike, and CR,
Thanks for stopping by and giving us your thoughts. I appreciate it.
Judy- I agree with you that nursing is a calling. God Bless those like yourself, and my sister who can handle it. I wouldn’t be able to separate myself from the emotional aspect of the job…I’d get too involved and disheartened at certain situations.
Rebecca- You brought up a valid point especially to the argument of those who say “what about her family and friends”. What if she had walked in on her own volition? What if her friends had stayed with her? Would it have made a difference? We still don’t know what actually caused her death, all we know is that her death may have been prevented. That’s all we have now are “what if’s?”
Mike- I think that if you live in the US it’s kinda hard to not know that we are in a healthcare crises, especially if you live in an urban area. If leaving someone to die on the floor is a result of a management business decision, then this hospital deserves the brunt of this investigation in my opinion. I don’t understand how you walk past someone laying face down on the floor for many minutes and leave them there and not be presumed to be at least unconcerned and further more, not doing your job. I don’t think people want the hospital shut, they just want it cleaned up and run in a respectable manner.
CR- In the daughter’s defense, as someone who has dealt and is currently dealing with the US Immigration and Naturalization Service, she may not have been able to visit her mother. Unless she was granted a visa or green card by the USCIS at the embassy in Kingston , Jamaica then she wouldn’t have been able to visit her mother. I can’t say that this is the case in this situation, but it is a very common problem for immigrants who come to this country to have to leave family members behind due to financial constraints and not being granted admission into the U.S.
Again, thank you everyone for your comments and please keep sounding off with your opinions!
” I don’t understand how you walk past someone laying face down on the floor for many minutes and leave them there and not be presumed to be at least unconcerned and further more, not doing your job”
I do not mean to sound emotionless or heartless but here is the truth in our broken down healthcare system…For every Esmin Green, there are 9 others who are simply gaming the system. I have worked in a major county ER and you cannot imagine the number of times someone will pretend to be in pain, fake a seizure or pretend to be unconscious simply to be seen faster. Because it is a rule that anyone must be seen in the ER, they can do it several times a day (literally) and no doctor, nurse or security guard can do anything about it. Now I cannot speak to what those workers were thinking on that day but this idea that these are heartless people who would just watch a woman die is plain ridiculous.
As I said before. The problem today is that medicine is a business. Most of the problems you see today have been there for decades. The case of Esmin Green happens ALL THE TIME. We are only talking about this case because there is video footage. Healthcare professionals have complained bitterly about it but as long as the bottom line (money) is not affected, nothing is ever done.
To emphasize my point, here is what will most likely happen in this case. The family will sue. So much needed hospital funds will be diverted away from the hospital in order to defend or settle this lawsuit. Attempts will be made to hire an “outstanding” chief of psychiatry and better supporting staff but given the horrible conditions that exist, I wish them luck. Unable to satisfy the state requirements, the psych ER will close down and force another county/hospital to take up their psych patients. The “new psych hospital” which already is dealing with its own problems will be unable to deal with the added burden and you will be left with untreated psych patients wandering the streets in search of care. When they either commit suicide or kill someone, there will be another public outcry but nothing will be done to correct the problem. This is the American healthcare system.
Mike,
and coming back to respond to my comment. It’s important to me that you feel welcome to do so.
I don’t think you sound heartless at all, you are just speaking your mind from your point of view, and that’s all any of us are doing. You are offering insight that none of us have, and it allows us to see things in a different perspective and that’s what having a dialogue is all about. I appreciate you not taking my statements personally
Mike, what you have said just makes my blood run cold. That happens ALL the time? And that people would game the system just to get attention, hence pushing out people that may really need help? *smh*
What do you think are the solutions? You mentioned hospitals are run like businesses. Do you think universal health care would change the attitudes?
Hey Islandista,
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I personally don’t think universal health care would change attitudes. I think the hospitals would become more like cattle farms. The bottom line in this situation is that these individuals made a personal choice to ignore that woman. Period. There comes a time in any job or even everyday situations where YOU have to make choice FOR YOURSELF. According to the details that you have on your site mentioning that the doctors and nurses were seen on camera actually kicking her foot to see if she was alive (I didn’t have those facts)and then leaving her there, takes it to another level altogether. I agree with you, we all know bad things do happen all the time, that’s true, but it doesn’t make the individual instances any less horrific or saddening.
As I predicted, here we go:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/08/hospital.death/index.html
The stupidity is thinking that the county actually has $25 million sitting in a bank account ready to pay out to anyone. The jury will award that amount because they are obviously incensed by what happened. But what they fail to realize is that most county hospitals are already bankrupt. Any money awarded will come from cutting back on other needed medical services which only exacerbates the healthcare crises and does NOTHING to prevent this unfortunate incident from happening again.
Again, this is the American Healthcare system.
I understand there maybe some animosity towards hospital care and the overall American Healthcare System. My uncle had just passed away this summer due to a mistake a surgeon made, and yes I did hate that man. For a while. Then I realized, these doctors, these surgeons, these nurses, they’re all human too. Mistake will be made. I’m not one to assume here, but maybe the people that walked pass Ms.Green thought she was sleeping? After all, it was in the middle of the night. And as we all know, being woken up in the middle of the night, regardless of the circumstances is not fun.
Maybe they should have checked on her, maybe it was their fault she died. But should the fault be isolated on them? Never. Where was the family? In my experiences, when my grandmother suffered a stroke, the whole family was their in the hospital waiting room, with relatives calling from all over the world.
And lastly, suing the city will only prolong the pain the family has to suffer. Lawsuits can take from 1 year to up to 6 years to settle it. Everytime they visit the lawyer, only pain will be felt. Sure 25 million is a lot, but where is this money coming from? From tax payers, from the hospital (which needs the money TO PREVENT this from happening) and from themselves.
What they are doing is selfish. They are taking money away from a hospital, and without less funds only more people will suffer. They are taking money from not the city, but from tax payers, you and my parents. They cannot be allowed shift the blame alway from their lack of care.
I agree that this was a horrible thing and the hospital was wrong to ignore her but to end up where she was indicates a history of illness. Where was the family before this? They only seem to come out of the woodwork demanding financial compensation now that her story has been in the news. It looks like they want to benefit from her death by demanding a large financial settlemenmt. They apparently ran to hire an attorney.
Hey Mike, Raymond, and Mark,
Thanks for all your comments.
Mike- I’m curious to know, what in your opinion would be a proper response to what has happened? I’d like to know from both your perspective as a person that works in the healthcare arena, and also if you were the family and it was your relative and you didn’t have the inside knowledge you have of the system?
Raymond-I’m sorry to hear about your uncle. In regards to them thinking she was asleep, that’s a point I guess, but if allowing people to sleep on the floor of the waiting room is the norm, then that’s part of the problem as well, right? As far as her family, Esmin Green immigrated to the US alone, she had no family in the US. Her children all lived in Jamaica and would have needed a green card or visa to enter the US, I don’t know if they had one or not. I personally don’t agree that “what they are doing is selfish”, (maybe excessive, but who am I to put a price on their mother’s life? Especially since more than likely they won’t receive that amount) but just as I asked Mike, what do you think would be an appropriate reaction to this situation by the family?
Mark-Her family was in Jamaica.
I guess I’m a little perplexed by the presumption that family/friends/associates are qualified to deal with (repeated) mental issues. Why was her Pastor wrong for calling 911 and having her involuntarily committed? What should the Pastor have done? What if family/friends had attempted to care for her themselves and then she killed a bunch of people or herself? Wouldn’t the argument then be why didn’t they seek help for her? Is it wrong in this day and age to expect (quality) health care at the hospital? Should you now expect to have to accompany your family members for their entire stay at the hospital? What can be done to rectify the healthcare system? How can everyday people help? Let me know.
To answer your question, speaking both as a practitioner and as an unenlightened layperson, the key is that any monetary amounts paid should provide financial compensation and correct the problem. In that way we can prevent further tragedies. Secondly the amount of payout should be commensurate with the financial wealth of the hospital. It is stupid to force a county hospital to payout millions of dollars and still expect them to be able to serve the community. As I mentioned before, these hospitals will simply cutback services and shift the financial burden to their paying customers. In this case, the bill for this lawsuit will be absorbed by you and I, Mr and Mrs taxpayer, in the form of higher medical insurance premiums and reduced medical services. In other-wards, you wait time at that ER just got longer.
On a different note, someone mentioned the role of family in this matter and I cannot agree more. Let me give you a simple illustration. A man walks into to an ER seeking care for a cut on his hand. He has had a few beers but is acting and behaving appropriately. He is treated for his cut and discharged from the ER. Since he lives by himself and has no friends or family to watch him, they call a taxi which takes him home. The next morning he does not show up to work and is found dead in his house. Autopsy reveals that he slipped into a coma due to the amount of alcohol consumed but unfortunately laid on the floor for too long before anyone got to him. Who is to blame, hospital or family?
The hospital will be blamed because his family will state that it is the responsibility of the hospital to ensure that any inebriated (drunk) person is sober before being discharged from the ER. So the hospital will now take on the burden of watching every drunk person who comes into the ER often times performing unnecessary tests and almost perpetually keeping the ER waiting room backed up. I won’t even go into the financial implications of all of this.
Now I know this case is very different and the exact details are still unknown. But as a society we should ask ourselves, why did this woman go 24 hours without any friend, family or loved one beside her? I am reminded of the case a few months ago where a mum sued a foster care home because her child died while in the foster home. Again who is to blame the foster care home or the mum for not being a fit mum? The point is that as a society we are quick to give up our familial obligations but whenever there is a poor outcome, we eulogize on how close they were to us. Really!
Mike,
Thanks for your response to my questions. You brought up some very good points, especially regarding financial compensation being commensurate with the hospital’s wealth. I hear what you are saying about the overall problem with the health care system and lack of family support in some instances, but with the record this hospital has, I think this situation could’ve occurred even if her family/friends had visited her within that time frame. I guess sadly for those of us who aren’t exposed to the daily ins and outs of the system, maybe what you are suggesting is that our expectations for basic care are too high??
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