Indiana Hospital Refuses To Treat Transwoman Who Was Coughing Up Blood

08/02/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

http://lezgetreal.com/2010/08/indiana-hospital-refuses-to-treat-transwoman-who-was-coughing-up-blood/

Erin Vaught went to a Muncie emergency room coughing up blood. Two hours later, she was refused treatment on grounds that she is transsexual. In what is a serious lapse of medical ethics, and had Vaught died, would have been criminal negligence, Ball Memorial Hospital staff treated Vaught with contempt, ridicule, and even eventually met with dismissal of her condition.

It stated when the admitting nurse at the ER entered that Vaught was male into the computer despite the fact that her ID stated that she is female. Vaught stated "I pointed out that my ID says female. There were two ladies there, and one of them snickered a little bit and covered her mouth. The other got a very annoyed look on her face. Vaught was there with her wife and son.

Ugh this Is So Disgusting.
I Can't believe people.

I too have experienced discrimination at a hospital and it is a very scary feeling
when the people who you're supposed to trust with your life don't even treat you like a human.

It's wrong - and I'm sure the lawsuit is going to agree - to refuse service.  But as for that 'treat me like a human', if they did that, they could not do their job, you're just another accident statistic, perhaps they save your life, perhaps not - but they don't get involved, there is always someone next in line.

 Nothing surprises me anymore in today's upside down world. Just shows hospitals are not doing the proper treatment of all their patients.It sickens me to think such actions go on against someone due to their gender identity. Hope she sues them.

@ Susan, Emelye, Janet ... Top Management at Susan's Place.

Please, ladies, forgive me for what I'm about to say, but I must say it:

These people at this hospital are A-S-S-H-O-L-E-S, period !!!!!!!

My blood boils over this story!  How DARE they?!?  Savages!

Some people can have great skill but lack any insight.  The world we REALLY live in?  Shocking:

http://www.hermes-press.com/societal_apocalypse.htm

Again, Susan & Company, moderators, et alia, please, forgive me for the scatological language, but this outrage against a transwoman deserves nothing less than incendiary, inflammatory invective and inveigh. 

This is spiritual evil ... nothing less!!!  How DARE they?!?  I'm usually a gentle soul, but THIS enrages me!!!

Lucky for these people at this hospital that I'm not God.  It would be Spontaneous Combustion City for them, baby!                       Selah!

Sorry, everybody.  This "hits me where I live" and incites me to jihad against callous stupidity!   

Okay, okay.  I'm calming down ... breathe slowly ... count to 10 ... get a grip, Lacey ... !

Lacey
the hospital administration has taken steps to insure something like this does not happen again.
http://www.clarian.org/portal/Clarian/ball-memorial?ContentID=/hospitals-locations/ball-memorial/news-media/news-announcements/20100824_partner-future.xml
The incident happened due to lack of proper training  of the intake/ER staff.
the parent corporation runs twenty some hospitals, and even though the press release does not state so I am confident that similar policys and training  will likely be instituted in all of those facilitys.

QuoteBMH has also updated its non-discrimination and patient care policies to include language specific to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
"I could not be happier with the way in which Ball Memorial has responded to my complaint," Vaught said. "My goal from the outset was to try to make sure that my experience wasn't repeated. Ball Memorial's commitment to updating their policies and training their staff demonstrates to me that this is their priority as well. I look forward to following the training process and to utilizing BMH's services for myself and my family in the future."
INTRAA President, Vivian Benge, summed up the feelings of many people who have worked on this issue since mid-August. "The manner in which Erin and Ball Memorial have dealt with this issue should serve as a model for how community organizations, community members, and community advocates can collaborate in a transparent manner to bring about positive change,"
Haley reaffirmed the hospital's commitment to offering a hospital experience without prejudice and discrimination for all patients and their families, and its plans to continuing working with INTRAA and IE.
"Reaching this goal will take patience and persistence," he said. "We will lead by example at BMH, and I want to make it perfectly clear that our partnership with IE and INTRAA won't end here. It will endure through our commitment to uphold our brand promise with every patient who comes here for care."
All parties see this work as the beginning of a statewide campaign for improved LGBT health care access. "INTRAA and IE are committed to using this collaboration as a starting point for work with health care providers throughout Indiana," said Jon Keep, President of Indiana Equality. "BMH has generously offered to share the materials and expertise we all develop in training their staff with any health care institution that shares their commitment to providing excellent and accessible care to all Hoosiers."

Also: 
http://indianaequality.typepad.com/indiana_equality_blog/2010/08/ie-intraa-and-ball-memorial-hospital-partner-to-build-a-new-future.html

@ Kate Thomas:

Thank you SOOO much, Kate!  This is great news.  We t-people must not let anything like this incident continue to happen.  I appreciate that very much.  You've calmed me down.  I'm grateful.   

Good that they have resolved this issue-we hope.

The people there not only had no clue, they had no compassion, and no professionalism.  I don't care what gender someone is, if they're coughing up a lot of blood, you don't refuse to treat that.  If you don't *like* the person you're treating for some reason, too bad.  A professional pulls up their big-kid britches and does their job.