Man Demands "No Blacks" in Delivery Room ...

[Jolie Rouge]

Hospital Apologizes for Racial Incident

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?floc=FF-APO-1110&idq=/ff/story/0001%2F20031003%2F135869409.htm&sc=1110


ABINGTON, Pa. (AP) - A suburban Philadelphia hospital apologized to employees for complying with a man's demand that no black staff members assist in the delivery of his child.

Abington Memorial Hospital supervisors kept black staff members, including doctors and nurses, from entering the room of the man's wife for several days last month, a decision called ``morally reprehensible'' by hospital president Richard L. Jones Jr.

Meg McGoldrick, the hospital's vice president, said the supervisors were trying to avoid a confrontation with the patient's husband, but were wrong to accommodate his wishes.

``The whole incident has greatly upset many of our employees,'' she said.


The patient and her husband could not be identified because of privacy laws.


A hospital spokeswoman would not say whether any disciplinary action would be taken against staff members.



10/03/03 13:58



A hospital spokeswoman would not say whether any disciplinary action would be taken against staff members.


WHY *would* any disciplinary action be taken against staff members ?

[Jolie Rouge]

In *MY* South, we would have told them to pack thier things and go to another hospital. Or hire a midwife and have a Home Birth if you want to control whom has access to the Delivery room. Morons :mad:

[Mystic32]

I think the staff they may be refering to inregards to disciplinary actions would be the ones who went along with the fathers` wishes. I read this earlier on Netscape. I think it`s totally reprehensible that not only would someone request this but for a hospital to go along with it...I`m telling ya It`s geting to the point that nothing suprises me anymore...What a sad world we all live in! I wonder what would have happened if his wife ended up with problems & the only other staff memeber trained to handle her problems was a black person. What would he have done then?

[Technologist]

Okay.... big fight about to start here.....

IF my wife was about to give birth, and I requested that NO men were to be allowed in the room.....

Would I be taking hassle here????

[Jolie Rouge]

I think the staff they may be refering to inregards to disciplinary actions would be the ones who went along with the fathers` wishes.

okay - that makes sense... I thought they might consider actions against the people who were upset :rolleyes:

[*StarDust*]

I agree with the comment that he should have had a home birth.

I don't think the staff should get in trouble for what they did
though it probably stopped a fight between staff and the husband
if they hadn't done what he asked.

[PreciousDarlin]

I personally feel that it doesn't matter what the husband wants because he is not the one that needs to be accomodated to. It's the mother that is in extreme pain and needs to be made comfortable. But, again, I don't feel that a person's race or gender should be a plausible reason to keep them from assisting in a delivery room.

[stresseater]

I agree that it is the woman's choice as to who is in the delivery room and I also agree with tech. If I am having a baby and I don't want any men,or women, or blacks, or whites, or whatever in the room they as a paying customer I should have that right. It is suppose to be about the mother and child and making them the most comfortable, not what the hospital deems offensive or unPC. OK tech I'll wear the flame resistant pants with you.:D :D :D ;) ;)

[Angelseyes28]

I think it's stupid but I suppose it's his and his wife's decision. I on the other hand had a black nurse the other day after my surgery and let me tell you she was such a sweetie! Since I was hooked up to an IV the whole time I had to be escorted to the bathroom etc. This woman was a Godsend! She rubbed my back(not my butt:p) all the way to the bathroom and back and was constantly fussing over me. If I could have brought her home I would have:)

I applaud all good nurses, black, white, sunburned, polkadot, male, female, whatever!:D

[Dolly<3]

I don't think you have the choice of who you want in the room with you. I think you take what they have, or you find a different hospital that has what you want, a private hospital, or a midwife. They're there to do their job, not accomodate your every demand. It's not the Four Seasons. :rolleyes:

[morris2b]

As long as they are doing their job who cares what color they are and if they are male or female.. Both my deliveries where assisted by male doctors and female nurses, but it would not have mattered to me if it were all males or all females as long as they knew what they were doing...
What a sour person that man is, I feel sorry for his child as he goes through life..

[*StarDust*]

I agree completely with everyone about it not making a difference
if the doctors and nurses
were from Mars as long as they knew what they were doing.

But I don't think the staff should get in trouble for doing
what the father asked since it's apparent that he probably has
Hate issues so would have caused a fight if they had not listened.

[Jolie Rouge]

LOL @ Raven --> I was AGREEING with you !


Tech - the matter is simply this : the hospital is dedicated to having the best quality care by the most qualified person at hand. What if there were complications and the best person to handle the crisis is barred from the room because of race or gender ? I had a male surgeon and a female surgeon, a white nurse and a black nurse; a Kreon anathesiaologist (?) and a Indian Neonatologist. Did it matter ? Only that they did their jobs to the best of their abilities. Our daughter died. Imagine the guilt if We had made some follish stipulation - would we always wonder if that compromised on her life ?

[ttistin]

I think if the Father had a problem with who was in the room HE should have been givin the choice to wait somewhere else then.

The Mother was the one giving birth, the one going through all the pain it would be her decsion and belive me when you are going through labor you dont really care who is there {Just get it out LOL} That was how I felt anyway, As long as the people know what they are doing then let them do it.



There are far to few nurses now a days to be picky on what color/gender you want.


Suprises me he didnt make the ones allowed to stay take a test:rolleyes:

[menanamama]

HATE TO TELL YOU BUT THEY HAVE TO ADHERE TO THE PARENTS REQUESTS! IT IS THE *** ****** LAW IN MOST PLACES AND JUST PLAIN SMART IF YOU DON'T WANT TO GET SUED. AND YES I DO MEAN TO YELL! I happen to think this guy is a moron but they cannot by law force a patient to be seen by a dr or rn etc that they do not wish to be seen by. i had to go thru hell and back to make sure that a particular dr. was not allowed in my delivery room when my second was born because she almost caused me to loose my first. if i request that someone not be allowed in i damn well expect it to be fallowed. it is your right as a patient not to be forced to accept care from those you do not wish to be seen buy. granted the man was way out of line but so are all of you who think that the hospital was wrong or are saying that the mother should have just gone elsewhere. the hipocratic oath means you have to treat patients even if they are bigoted morons. you are all just as bad as the father if you really feel that "just go somewhere else" is an appropriate way to deal with the problem.

Lets keep this thread open and civil. Profanity is really not necessary.
Mom2jal

[stresseater]

Thank you h223m, that is exactly what I was trying to say. :D :D :D

[Merry99%]

Give him the racist @zz of the year award.
Sure would have been nice if his wife had given birth to the most precious little black baby you ever saw wouldn't it? ;) LOL

[asickchick]

I bet these people have really good medical Ins....I've seen Drs and nurses bend over backwards and do flips when a patient who has exelent Ins walks in and wants something....DRs will practicly push their poor patients down to get to the "better" patient. These days it's all about $.....

[Urban Cowgirl]

although I don't agree with the fact that he would not allow a "black person" in the delivery room. I do know that its the patients right to refuse care from anyone they are uncomfortable with. Also I must say that when I go into labor my husband will be there to act as my advocate, to refuse anything I do not wish to be done, or to request things that I want. I prefer a male doctor over a woman any day. This comes for several bad experiences. However I would never refuse a female doctor just because she is a woman. However I do make it a point to request a male doctor when possible. Also at the hospital where I go there are a couple docs I flat out refuse to be treated by, because I have had awful experiences with those individuals, that is my right!!! And you can bet your sweet bippy that they haul booty to get me someone else.

[Donnagg123]

**double post** oops! :)

[Donnagg123]

the hipocratic oath means you have to treat patients even if they are bigoted morons.

You are correct on this. However, that does not mean that the hospital has to compromise their morality. If the hospital gave in every time someone did not want someone in the room, then there would be no one left to treat anyone. We cannot compromise our hospital staff like that. That would make everyones job needlessly harder by checking to see, oh so and so does not want blacks and so and so does not want a woman and so and so does not want a homosexual and so on and so on. That would make everyones stay in the hospital longer and everyones hospital bills go up because they have to hire more staff to satisfy everyone and just a mess for everyone. If it was a perfect world everyone would get who they want, but it is not. JMHO

[Donnagg123]

Originally posted by kids=stress
I agree that it is the woman's choice as to who is in the delivery room and I also agree with tech. If I am having a baby and I don't want any men,or women, or blacks, or whites, or whatever in the room they as a paying customer I should have that right.

I have a question and this is not a flame just an honest to goodness question :) You said that if you are a paying customer you have a right to ask for who you want in there. Would it have made a difference, to you, if the person had medicaid? They would not be paying for it. Would that make a difference to you? Just curious. :)


This is for everyone else in general. I wonder what would have happened if the mother or baby or both needed some kind of operation that they only had a black surgeon for. I wonder what they would have done then? Makes you think.

[ttistin]

sorry double post

[ttistin]

Originally posted by Donnagg123
That would make everyones stay in the hospital longer and everyones hospital bills go up because they have to hire more staff to satisfy everyone and just a mess for everyone. If it was a perfect world everyone would get who they want, but it is not. JMHO



The thing with this is that there are so few people that WANT to work in hospitals because of people like this. Yes if there was a certian nurse/dr that I felt uncomfortable with then I would ask for someone else, BUT to do it just because of race or gender is not right and I dont think the hospital should have let this man get his way. There are too few staff at the hospital to be that way.

What is that child going to grow up thinking?

[HumNbirdMO]

I think the hospital did the right thing in keeping the staff members out of there. What would have happened if they did not and an AA staff member had gone in there not knowing what was going on? The staff member would have probably been subjected to god only knows what kind of racist abuse from the father.

Don't get me wrong, I think this whole story is sickening, and the father is an a$$ but I think the hospital had to protect their staff from being racially abused by this jerk. Why even give him (the racist pig) the opportunity to make a scene??

[harloo]

I think the staff members who were discriminated against should sue the hospital. This man should of never been allowed to make such a request. And using the "MAN" or "WOMAN" excuse will not cut it IMO. We all know the difference, so please don't act as if making a racially charged request is on the same par.

I would agree if he would of requested a specific doctor, or nurse. etc. because he liked their expertise then that's fine. However, basing you opinions because of someone's race is simply wrong. If you don't want a black doctor in the delivery room then get a midwife and stay HOME.

It speaks volumes of what type of person you are if you agree with this behaviour. I just cannot believe anyone would be defending this man. But since we live in America it's not suprising. :rolleyes:

[Donnagg123]

The staff member would have probably been subjected to god only knows what kind of racist abuse from the father.

That is what the Hippocratic Oath is for. I am going to be a nurse, and I know going in that there are some who may not like me because I am a woman, or because I am overweight, or because I am white, or whatever. But I have to give someone the same level of treatment that I would give everyone...no matter what. The hospital should know this, too. Therefore to say that they shouldn't because of the abuse they might recieve is irrelevant. They already probably know about abuse from patients.

[Jolie Rouge]

The paient has every right to say "I don't want Dr. John Smith or Dr Paul Jone or Nurse Bett y to be involved in my care."

But to say "I don't want any staff member with Green Eyes to attend me" is riduclous - it prevents the hospital from providing proper care. What if the only person qualified to adminaster the epidural is the "wrong Color" ? Do we let someone less compatant do it - risking injury ( & lawsuits ) ? What if a Surgeon is needed ? Do we wait to call someone else in while moments between life and death or wasted ? When you are in a hospital sometimes you have to take what is available. If you want total control of the situation, then make sure you can provide it - even if it means going elsewhere.


I do not think the Hospital shpuld discipline the Staff - they were trying to comply with the clients unreasonable wishes and avoid making a bad situation worse. The father probably made his wishes known as they where going in to have the baby after Labor had begun rather than make this declaration before hand ( because he knew it was asine and he would force the Hospital to put the welfare of Mother and child above all else - too bad he could not do the same.)


The hospital should now put a clause in their contracts stating "you would be willing to accept care from the most qualified personell available regardless of race, creed, or gender unless otherwise specificly stated and attested to."

[hotwheelstx]

I can NOT believe this still goes on:mad: :( :mad:!!!!!

Since I was born disabled I spent a lot of my younger years in hospitals. To be honest if it hadn't of been for nurses....NO MATTER WHAT COLOR, RELIGION, SEX they were I'd been scared out of my wits even more.

I understand not wanting a particular dr., assistant in the room. That's their right/choice.

This attitude (jmo) is uncalled for. I applaude nurses and aides that were there for me when I was younger.

You can bet everytime I went in the hospital for another operation they were always there, remembered my name, what I enjoyed playing with........and would always reassure me that it wasn't to much longer before my mom would be there for her daily visit.

[momfromTN]

He sounds like the kind of neanderthal type who won't allow his wife to have an epidural, I will bet! I actually knew a guy like that. But, I bet HE would get pain relief if he had knee surgery.

[PrincessArky]

I feel sorry for the future of the children.......hate is something that is learned and it is obvious as to what he (and his wife) will be teaching his.

[Dolly<3]

I guess next he'll want only white teachers for his kids. Those sort of demands shouldn't be given into ANYWHERE.

If he wants to choose the color of the staff, the color of the drapes in the room, the color of the bed, the type of matress, etc - he needs to go to a private hospital b/c that is luxury you have to pay for.

Public hopitals don't get to choose who they treat, and their patients don't get to choose who treats them - especially based on color. If it was a personality conflict, I could see it.

[stresseater]

I have a question and this is not a flame just an honest to goodness question You said that if you are a paying customer you have a right to ask for who you want in there. Would it have made a difference, to you, if the person had medicaid? They would n
No it would make no difference to me what kind of insurance they had. A lot of people are under the impression that they must do what the doctor says, this is not true. They are a business just like any other(even more so since the conception of insurance) they provide services for a fee very intimate services sometimes and if someone who is in the room is making the PATIENT uncomfortable then they should leave if possible. Obviously this isn't possible all the time because like it's been said, what if this is the only person available to do the job. Now don't get me wrong, this man is totally uncivilized for asking this to begin with but I do think it was in his rights if his wife felt the same way. Doesn't mean I agree with him, just his right to do it.;)

[MelanieAnn]

Wow... this happens to be the hopsital where I was born. That's all I'm going to say.