Hospital death panel trumps medical power of attorney
by Elizabeth Graham
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
I have devastating news.
Yesterday, I wrote you a message about Willie, a patient at a hospital in northwest Houston whose doctors decided that he should no longer have medical care despite the wishes of the patient and his family. Many of you have emailed and called me and offered to help Texas Right to Life and to help Willie’s family. For that, I am touched, and I thank you.
Late yesterday evening after I sent my email to you, I learned that Willie died.
The “ethics panel” at the facility decided, against the wishes of the family -- and the patient himself -- to stop medical treatment.
As you can imagine, I'm shocked, and his family is devastated about the way their father was treated, and ultimately killed, by so-called medical professionals.
I know you're shocked, too, because of the number of replies I've received from you, and people like you, offering prayers and support over the past 12 hours.
Many have asked me which medical facility where this happened but the family asked me not to reveal it at the moment.
Friend, we have a long road ahead of us to change how we care for the suffering and disabled.
Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for Willie’s family and even the medical professionals who are trying to save lives.
Murder is the right word
Oh come on Wags! Surely this sets off even your radar! By this account, this facility and staff just murdered this man against the family's wishes, and yet the family is asking that the identity of those involved not be disclosed? How completely cooperative and nice of them.
they'll come with reasons why....but if you have a morbidly obese patient, they are hard to place....a patient on restraints..hard or impossible to place in my region....a person who has complicated issues...hard to place....
we don't know the condition of this "willie" because the whole story is washed in secrecy....although after death, I am not sure Hippa still applies.....
was he 450 pounds?...was he on a bipap machine?...maybe had extensive wounds needing wound vacs...frequent suctioning....trach care?...
and if the family wanted hydration, would that require an elaborate IV site and very expensive TPN (IV nutrition)?....
the right to life people are not doing themselves any favors when they paint such a wide brush over these cases...each case is different...
and whatever happened to letting nature take its course?.....the very old and the very frail and the very very sick used to be able to die....
pneumonia used to be the "blessing of the aged"....