Healthcare Horror Stories From The Hood: Burnt LA Black Man Turned Away From "Good Samaritan?" Hospital

African American Brother With 3rd Degree Burns Treated Like A Dog From Hospital Claiming He Was Given "Appropriate" Treatment

David Arnold Kirkpatrick, 58, was sleeping soundly early Saturday morning last week in his Los Angeles home when he was roused by the acrid smell of smoke.“I jumped up and opened the door,” said Kirkpatrick. Flames leaped from the burning structure as Kirkpatrick tried to escape. “I ran from the bedroom to the living room, but the whole room was on fire.”

Kirkpatrick, who escaped the fire dressed only in his boxer shorts and slippers, was surprised by the ‘cool’ treatment he received at Good Samaritan hospital. “They told me that I could not be admitted because they needed the bed space for another patient,” recalls Kirkpatrick.

This Black man's badly burned body was rushed to the urgent care unit at Good Samaritan Hospital by paramedics. Writhing in pain, the retired cook had no idea how the fire started. What he would later find out, however, was that he suffered first, second and third degree burns to his chest and back, covering 30 percent of his body.

“Not only did David have burns on his back, but on his head, neck, arms and feet as well,” said Elestine Easley, 48, Kirkpatrick’s ex-fiance. “He had blisters on his scalp where the fire had burned his hair off.”

But "Good Samaritan" Hospital didn't seem to find these injuries all that serious. “They didn’t even ask me if I had medical insurance,” recalls Kirkpatrick, who receives general relief and lives with his mother. This from a California hospital that prides itself on "providing superb patient care in state-of-the-art facilities."Well, not according to Kirkpatrick, who claims nurses prescribed a burn cream for his wounds and then wrote a prescription for 20 Vicodin pills. Afterwards, he was issued a pair of red flannel pajamas and a red T-shirt which he said promptly stuck to his wounds. Kirkpatrick said a nurse called his fiancé and requested that she come and pick him up from the hospital. “But my fiancé does not have a car,” said Kirkpatrick. “I told the hospital personnel that I did not have transportation home.”

When contacted by phone about the incident, Katrina Bada, public relations manager at Good Samaritan, issued the following statement: “Mr. Kirkpatick was transported by paramedics to Good Samaritan Hospital on Sunday, October 28th with 2nd degree burns and was given the appropriate level of treatment before being discharged.”

In an effort to return home, Kirkpatrick appealed to a sympathetic hospital security guard who gave him two bus tokens. “But a bus pass is five dollars,” said Kirkpatrick, who said that without enough bus fare, he was forced to walk several blocks on blistered feet before finally being able to catch the bus to his fiance. Easley recalled. “I was shocked by David’s condition and wondered why the hospital didn’t admit him.”

On Monday, the Easley and her mother escorted Kirkpatrick to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where she had to wait four hours to see a doctor. According to Elestine. “When the nurse finally saw us, she was astounded by David’s burns and she retrieved a doctor from the emergency unit. They gave him Vicodin for pain and cleaned his wounds. Then they covered them with gauze.” Elestine said that three or four doctors came to examine Kirkpatrick’s wounds. “The doctors asked if David had been discharged from Good Samaritan or if he had walked out,” said Elestine. “We told them that he had been discharged.

They said that he should never have been released from the hospital,” said Elestine. Kirkpatrick said he is still upset about the treatment he received at Good Samaritan. “They made me feel like sh**,” like less than a human being,” Kirkpatrick said, shaking his head. To add to his woes, Kirkpatrick is homeless since the fire completely destroyed the family home.

Thanks Our Weekly and editor Kathy Williamson for calling our attention to this travesty. Are you as pissed-off as we are about how little regard folks have for other people's lives???

Staph, MRSA, Schwarzenegger Caves in to Hospital Lobbyist, One Women's Mission To Set Him Straight and Save Your Life: The Risk of Infection Part 2

(Considering Fibroid surgery? You NEED to read this article!)

This is Arnold Schwarzenegger; Movie Star, Bodybuilder, and "I'm so rich I don't take money from special interest groups" ... Uber Governor of California.

This is his lovely wife Maria "I'm like any other Kennedy trying to make this world a better place" ... Shriver.

And this is Alicia Cole, the Hollywood starlet that has come between them ...

... as she battles to save her life and yours.

In the last two gubernatorial elections, current California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ran on a platform of having so much money that "he didn't need special interest money like the other candidates running." But from recent decisions, we see Arnold's "learning curve" not only includes taking special interest money, but it also includes not willing to work with the California Legislature (another promise he continues to break.)

His wife Maria Shriver, as I mentioned above, is a true "Kennedy" and really seeks to improve our lives. Combining her television visibility with her family contacts and position as First Lady of California, Maria really takes the lead in important issues. One of Maria's important issues -- her "pet project" -- is to increase awareness of Childhood Obesity. It has been a huge undertaking and very effective for the last three years.

Alicia Cole, the above mentioned actress, is the spokesperson for her Childhood Obesity campaign. The advertising includes radio, television, and thousands of billboards all over the state of California.

STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND? OK ...

Here is another picture: Alicia vacationing during the ad campaign ...

And this is how Alicia looks after her body was ravaged by the flesh eating bacteria Necrotizing Fasciitis, ... a type of staph infection she contracted at a Burbank California hospital.

Q: How did this happen? A: Relaxed hospital sterilization practices.

WHAT IS NEEDED ... A law that would make it mandatory that all hospital and surgical centers would have to reveal their infection rates, so we the public, can hold them accountable for their lack of quality sterilization. We would then be able to decide intelligently which places we would like to have surgery. They would then have to change the way they do business.

THE PROBLEM ... California Legislature passed such a bill. But last week, backing hospital lobbyist (special interest), Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed it.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN TO ALICIA??

A year ago Alicia was going into the hospital to have a "small procedure", to have fibroids removed from her uterus. In the past I have known three other women including my wife, who went through the same "relatively simple surgery." After going through this with my first friend, I could pretty much tell my other friends what to expect. In basic terms; approximately two hours surgery, tiny bikini cut below the navel, one to two days in the hospital max, six weeks of soreness and walking very slowly. All had a relative or best friend sleep over, for about five days so they could get assistance. Post surgery, years later, all are doing quite well and two have had children after their fibroids were removed from blocking conception.

So my friend Alicia went in to the hospital to have her fibroids removed, and both her mother and father flew in town to be with her. Both of them, a first among my friends that would later prove to be a critical blessing.

The first thing that got my attention, was two days after surgery, I was surprised to hear on the third night she was still in the hospital. After talking to her mother I learned of a low grade fever Alicia had and how "they" (the doctor and nurses) were trying to "get it under control." I visited the hospital that night and outside in the hall, away from Alicia I told her father of my concern that this fever was not normal from what I knew of fibroid surgery and a sure sign of infection and that, "after this weekend (the next two days) if "they" were still trying to get this "fever under control", he should pull the coattail of one of the nurses and get another doctor in here, one who's specialty is infection," he agreed. But that weekend things accelerated quickly ...

BREAKING NEWS: Black 12 Year-Old Brooklyn Boy Dies From Staph Infection

Alicia's mother noticed a small black dot below Alicia's navel, like the dot a magic marker might leave. She questioned the doctor about it. His answer was that "the dot was probably there with Alicia all her life". Well, no matter how old you get, nobody knows ya' like ya' momma and she let that doctor know, under no certain terms was that dot there before "her baby" arrived at that hospital. Like I said nobody knows you like your momma.

Within the next day, that cute little bikini cut this same doctor had given Alicia after the surgery was radiating heat and started to swell? To the point that the doctor walked into the room and announced, "If this is what I think it is, we don't have time to get her down to surgery. I'm going to have to operate on her right now, cut her open right here in the hospital room and you, Alicia's mom (not a nurse) is going to have to assist me!" By the time he cut the stitches off, out oozed a bloody infected mess. Houston, we have a problem ...

Alicia's status each day got worse and worse. Multiple doctors were coming in and out of the room. She was being pumped with antibiotic after antibiotic, each day. The doctors still didn't know what it was. The infection specialist gave only temporary hope with a new barrage of drugs. Their temporary remedy was to subject Alicia to several surgeries, day after day as they cut away new infected tissue that would not stop growing.

(Note in this picture the nurse with no gloves)

Each day the wound got wider and wider and the infection sunk deeper and deeper into her abdomen. The bloody whole stretched from one hip to the other. it was 7 inches wide and at it's peak 5 inches deep. Imagine a shark biting you and ripping the meat off your stomach. On three different occasions the doctors pronounced a "death watch", informing her parents that the infection was close to vital organs. Each time, they asked Alicia's parents if they would like to summon a minster or clergy as, "Alicia probably won't make it through the night." Alicia's mom and dad, Betty and Ron from Cleveland Ohio, who by the grace of God were by her side, one minute comforting her, the next minute keeping that hospital on point, putting nurse and doctors on notice. Like a scene from the movie "Terms of Endearment", Betty's demanding at every turn for doctors and administration to, "Damn it, do something". And Ron her father, fervently and steadfastly declaring each day that" Alicia you walked in this hospital and you gonna' walk out of this hospital", saying as much for his own confidence as well as Alicia's.

It was on the last of these three "death watch" occasions that the doctors called the National Center for Disease Control. It was here they were given the names of other doctors who were familiar with what was going on. The diagnosis: the flesh eating bacteria; Necrotizing Fasciitis.

It was then the doctors were able to try other drugs and finally stop the progress of the infections. We now realize how blessed Alicia is , because those same drugs have not been able to help everyone, others who have gotten Staph Infections, MRSA or the new, antibiotic resistant, Super Bug infections.

Where is Alicia now?

Victorious, healing, depressed, detoxing from hospital morphine, relieved, aching, mad, joyous over friends and family who stood by her and a God who is "more than a conqueror. " This month celebrates one year of coming home after five months in the hospital.

THE BATTLE IS NOT OVER!

Alicia and others like her have other needs that you would not imagine. She has set up web sites, linked blog sites and mailed to hundreds of agencies, requesting they address the following issues. We encourage you to check them out and help:

AmendThecap.com. There is a little known $250,000 cap on pain and suffering, emotional distress, and other non-economic damages for those injured through negligence. With out amending the cap attorneys are not interested in representing patients in California.

Have your Congress person support The National Medical Error Disclosure and Compensation (MEDiC) Act. S.1784, 109th Cong., 1st Sess. (2005). Introduced to the Senate by Senators Clinton (D-NY) and Obama (D-IL), ***hospitals disclosure its errors , ***national patient safety database

The Center for Disease Control estimates that 2 million patients a year will acquire a nosocomial infection during their hospital stay and 90,000 of them will DIE!!! You can make a difference.

Read and support these sites:

Alica's Story, More Details and support from NNFF

Contact Alicia and her supporters on myspace

StopHospitalInfections.org by sending this letter to your US Rep.

Dirty Hospitals Blog

Necrotizing Fasciitis Common Q & A s

Alicia Cole, Actor Spokesperson

National Necrotizing Fasciitis Foundation (NNFF)

Victory with New Hampshire Hospitals

Staph Infections Invade Hospitals, Schools And Sports Facilities ... Could We All Die?: The Risk of Infection Part 1

In the next 6 months you or someone you love will be having major surgery, minor surgery, or a “little procedure” in the doctor’s office. Your children go to school, you play contact sports, your country club or gym has a locker room.

These situations are all breeding grounds for deadly Staph germs and staph infections … which mean someone could die. It’s just that simple. Here are the highlights you need know:

THE SITUATION

1) Staph infections will surpass AIDS in deaths.
2) There is now a new strain of staph infection that is drug-resistant.
3) That deadly “flesh-eating disease” you have heard of, is a Staph Infection. It is now able to move through your bloodstream.
4) Most staph infections take place days after the surgery; many times when you have returned “safely” home.
5) School closes after teen's staph-related death,

Hazards Material Team moves in for sanitizing.

SOLUTIONS

A. All medical professionals touching you …
needs to wash their hands in front of you.
B. Any stethoscope or medical instrument that touches you ...
needs to be cleaned with an alcohol swab.
C. Tell your Governor and legislature that you want full printed disclosure of infection rates of all hospitals and surgical centers.

How can we as consumers make informed choices of our health care if we don't know who's not doing it right? Only then will these facilities make sterilization a priority

THE STORY

More than 90,000 Americans get potentially deadly infections each year from a drug-resistant staph "superbug," the government reported this week in its first overall estimate of invasive disease caused by the germ.

Deaths tied to these infections may exceed those caused by AIDS, said one public health expert commenting on the new study. The report shows just how far one form of the staph germ has spread beyond its traditional hospital setting like schools.

The overall incidence rate was about 32 invasive infections per 100,000 people. That's an "astounding" figure, said an editorial in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, which published the study. Most drug-resistant staph cases are mild skin infections. But this study focused on invasive infections -- those that enter the bloodstream or destroy flesh and can turn deadly.

Researchers found that only about one-quarter involved hospitalized patients. However, more than half were in the health care system -- people who had recently had surgery or were on kidney dialysis, for example. Open wounds and exposure to medical equipment are major ways the bug spreads.

In recent years, the resistant germ has become more common in hospitals and it has been spreading through prisons, gyms and locker rooms, and in poor urban neighborhoods.The new study offers the broadest look yet at the pervasiveness of the most severe infections caused by the bug, called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. These bacteria can be carried by healthy people, living on their skin or in their noses. Watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta explain MRSA threat »

An invasive form of the disease is being blamed for the death Monday of a 17-year-old Virginia high school senior. Doctors said the germ had spread to his kidneys, liver, lungs and muscles around his heart. The researchers' estimates are extrapolated from 2005 surveillance data from nine mostly urban regions considered representative of the country. There were 5,287 invasive infections reported that year in people living in those regions, which would translate to an estimated 94,360 cases nationally, the researchers said.

Most cases were life-threatening bloodstream infections. However, about 10 percent involved so-called flesh-eating disease, according to the study led by researchers at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There were 988 reported deaths among infected people in the study, for a rate of 6.3 per 100,000. That would translate to 18,650 deaths annually, although the researchers don't know if MRSA was the cause in all cases.

On October 16th in Conneticut, Weston High School officials sent a letter (Read The Full Letter) to students and parents addressing a confirmed case of MRSA, which enters the bloodstream or turns into the so-called flesh-eating disease. If these deaths all were related to staph infections, the total would exceed other better-known causes of death including AIDS _ which killed an estimated 17,011 Americans in 2005 -- said Dr. Elizabeth Bancroft of the Los Angeles County Health Department, the editorial author. THE REPORT

COMING THIS MONDAY , The Risk of Infection Part 2:

We will be reporting on the following: Fibroid Surgery ... a two day hospital stay turns into a 5 month nightmare. ALSO IN THIS STORY:

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, his wife, Maria Shriver and the Beautiful Hollywood Actress, Alicia Cole who has come between them

... as she fights for her life.