19 Responses to “Edith Isabel Rodriguez”

1. Proxima Says:
   June 16th, 2007 at 1:08 am

   Yes, I read a story about this poor lady! It is terribly sad. They made me wait in the emergency room so long my appendix ruptured in the doctors hands as he was taking it out. If it had ruptured inside it could have caused death or months of recovery. I was also uninsured and working two jobs at the time to make rent.

   This is why we need Universal healthcare coverage, and caring/better staff in the ER’S! It makes me very upset. I’m sure we’ll talk about it again on sunday at the Unitarian chuch I attend.

   -P



2. Jenna Says:
   June 16th, 2007 at 11:08 am

   Lets face it she was uninsurred and a former criminal. The main problem the health care system is facing is undesirables demanding service then not paying. This raises cost for all hard working americans. I feel bad that she passed but unversal healthcare will never work.



3. notfainthearted Says:
   June 16th, 2007 at 11:55 am

   Jenna,
   Let’s face it. I could have easily deleted your comment but I didn’t. Why? Because it’s important for me to remember that there are many many cruel, hatefilled and uncreative, irrational, illogical people in the world, like you, who classify others and evaluate their “worth” as human beings based on how much you think they are like YOU.

   However, because yours is such a common sentiment, I have to consider whether I should use your comment as a basis for a post.

   Thank you for bringing your hate and ignorance here today. I pray that the One who can heal all ills will heal you of them.



4. John Says:
   June 16th, 2007 at 8:09 pm

   I don’t believe universal health care is the answer here either. But that hospital is a horrible hospital and what they did was terrible. I’m very sorry for this poor woman and her family. Nobody should be treated that way or simply called “undesirable” and ignored. But that doesn’t excuse her of some personal responsibility either. As I understand it she was a drug addict with a criminal record. You honestly can’t expect the health care system to shoulder the burden of people that in essence are killing themselves can you? Like I said before the hospital is terrible for their apathy and lack of compassion to someone in need but at the same time people shouldn’t be killing themselves and expecting the rest of society to pay for it. As horrible as this story is it sounds like there is fault on both sides.



5. adrien Says:
   June 17th, 2007 at 1:32 am

   The medical condition might be entirely unrelated to her drug abuse, actually. One knowledgeable person about such things suggested she might have had adhesions from a previous operation, and that if the hospital had provided painkillers, they might have worsened the situation. Or not. Drug use is a crime because someone decided it is a crime. Alcohol use - which does more damage to society over all, is not a crime because prohibiting such things doesn’t work, really. On the other hand, cigarette use, still quite legal, kills more people than either alcohol or illegal drug use. And one of the biggest killers is prescription drug use. OH! And then there are the iatrogenic deaths - deaths CAUSED by medical care - a large and largely ignored number. So, she might have been guilty of semply going to doctors at all in the first place.

   Let’s look into her life and family a little more - I am sure we will find ample reason to blame her for the fact that all they would do for her at the hospital is mop up the blood she was vomiting.



6. Joey Says:
   June 17th, 2007 at 9:13 pm

   I strongly doubt that any of this had anything to do with the woman not being insured. I have great health insurance, and I had a similar (with a - thankfully - different ending) thing happen to my daughter and I when I took her in to our local ER for an extremely high fever (almost 106).

   The doctor sat and ate a sandwich while I watched my daughter’s eyes turn bright red. I was pacing until I finally had enough and asked him if he could please get in here and help us. He didn’t even rush. He also asked two questions that really angered me: “Are both parents in the home?” and “Do you smoke in your home?” Those were the first two questions he asked. After letting him know that I didn’t appreciate the questions and that it was truly none of his business, he ended up writing her a prescription for Amoxocylin and sent us home. I wound up in another ER with her the next day, where they actually took care of her.

   Care is getting worse. This has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not someone has insurance. This is happening everywhere. To use this story as an excuse for socialized healthcare is crazy. I’m sorry, it just is.

   Do you really believe that if health care is free, we’re going to get better treatment and not have to wait in the ER? People working in the ER are not going to care any more than they are right now. If you believe that, then I’d like to know how having free health care will make people care more. It’s an honest question.

   I don’t have the answer for all people getting better care, because I don’t know how to make nurses and doctors truly care about folks. I can tell you this, though… Just because someone has health insurance does not automatically make them more ‘loved’ by hospital staffers. I speak from experience.

   This



7. notfainthearted Says:
   June 17th, 2007 at 10:46 pm

   Joey,
   Thanks for your comment. I’m sorry you had this experience with your daughter. It must have been not only frightening but extraordinarily frustrating.
   You are right that having insurance is no guarantee of quality care. However, I think your comment is a little naive that it had no impact on the behavior of the hospital staff.
   I don’t know that I AM advocating for FREE health care. That’s my answer to your honest question.
   I’m puzzled by the assumption that a Universal Health Plan equates to “free” or “socialized.”
   I can tell you that there is no way I can afford over $600 a month to buy private insurance that would still have a several thousand dollar deductible. I do not qualify for “public assistance” insurance because my income is about $1500 over the limit to qualify. Apparently, I’m not alone, as there are 46 million other Americans who can’t afford it either. The problem is that affordable (such as it is) insurance is tied to employement and too many models of employement do not even provide the option.
   I can also say that our current system works health care professionals like automotons and medical decisions are made by insurance “clerks” that have little or no medical training and are based soley on cost and not on what is needed by the patient.
   The only people that our current system benefits are the executives of the Insurance companies.



8. Joey Says:
   June 17th, 2007 at 11:27 pm

   Good points, but I don’t use my health care as a ‘catch all’, I use it as a true insurance, so that if I happen to get really sick or am in an accident, I don’t have to sell my house. I have a Health Savings account that takes care of most of my medical expenses, which I pay for - tax free. You should look into these… They actually work pretty great.

   The fact is that most Americans look at health insurance as a ‘catch all’ and it shouldn’t be. If my car breaks down, I pay for it. If I get an ear infection, I should pay for it. My insurance shouldn’t have to cover every single thing that happens to me, it should cover major medical. If Americans would stop viewing health insurance as a catch-all, the cost would be driven down. I personally wish that my employer had a low-deductible, catastrophic plan that I could use in conjunction with my HSA. That way, I’m not pouring money into high deductibles due to someone else’s over-use of our plan. The cost-shifting is absolutely out-of-control.

   On a different note - you also must understand that this hospital - Martin Luther King Jr - Harbor Hospital - is run by Los Angeles County, and receives over half of its funding from the Federal Government. This hospital is about as close to ‘Universal Health Care’ as you can get.

   If you do any research on this hospital (I have it posted on my blog if you’re interested) you will see what I mean. This death trap should have been shut down a long time ago, but wasn’t because of political crap and the fact that it is a government hospital.

   And as far as universal health care goes…’Universal’ is simply a KY-coated phrase for ‘Socialized’. There is no difference. If you truly believe that there is, please tell me how they are different.

   Thanks for letting me comment.



9. notfainthearted Says:
   June 18th, 2007 at 8:37 am

   Joey,
   Thanks for your comment. I did read in the articles that the hospital in question in this instance has a history of poor care and needs to be closed (or closed and re-opened after a restructuring…because what I don’t think we need is fewer health care providers…just fewer ones that kill people)

   Regarding Bush’s HSA scheme. I don’t understand why you think that would help me in my situation. An HSA is tied to a high-deductible plan and has to be offered by the employer. None of my employers offer me ANY health insurance options. It is true that I could add an HSA to private insurance, but then we’re at the point where I’d be paying over $600 for the monthly premium PLUS the amount (albeit pre-tax) to put into the HSA. The cash-flow is just UNREALISTIC and ELITIST to expect that most working poor could even consider it. And when I say “working poor” you have to understand that I don’t consider myself in that category AND STILL COULD NOT AFFORD THIS SCHEME.

   As for the “major medical” portion of your comment, I don’t even know where to begin to remark on the arrogance of it. Right-wing conservatives are always criticizing “big government interference” and advocating for privatization of this that and the other thing. But when it is brought to their attention that those privitized systems benefit only a few and leave millions suffering under that system they are all too happy to prescribe how “most Americans” “Should” live their lives.

   BTW, did you really pay for all of your daughter’s ear infection visits out of pocket or did you use your “really good insurance” benefits? Just asking.



10. Beverly J. Doucette Says:
    June 18th, 2007 at 12:11 pm

    Hello to all,

    I currently work as an “International Patient Advocate” for person afflicted with “Adhesion Related Disorder (ARD)” and though this disorder has not been confirmed as a condition that Edith Isabel Rodriguez had, in my opinion it very well could be. It is my intentions to secure Mrs. Rodriguez’s autopsy report which will offer to me a more comprehensive look into her prior medical/surgical history, which, if there is anything of a surgical nature existing in that history, will give credence to the probability that “post surgical peritoneal adhesions” were in fact a cause of her pain and multiple ER visits for pain. I can say with certainty that being on analgesics it is no wonder Edith had a bowel obstruction from constipation, which is a side affect of such a medication, and for a person who has a bowel compromised from adhesions, obstruction is a medical emergency which can trigger the results typical of what Edith Isabel Rodriguez experienced -death surrounded by ignorance and hostility within the medical arena.

    Adhesions cannot be diagnosed without a surgical procedure, they will NOT show up on any diagnostic tests currently offered in our medical arena - not on a CT Scan, MRI, Contrast Lower Gi series or abdominal X-rays, however, displacement of the intestines, AND ANY obstruction of the intestines will show 100%…but it will NOT show an obstruction, caused by adhesions or not, if these diagnostics are not ordered on the patient!
    FACT: #1 death by intestinal obstructions results from intestinal adhesions!
    (Physicians will generaly NOT tell a patient if they indeed have intestinal adhesions because most times the adhesions are caused BY the Dr. as in an “iatrogenic” disease, something caused by a Dr. or by the treatment by a Dr!
    http://www.adhesionrelateddisorder.com/adhesion7.html

    Tammy Wynette died under similar circumstances, and her death was directly related to ARD. Others have as well, unfortunately. I invite, and encourage you to please visit this web site: http://www.adhesionrelateddisorder.com for more information on ARD.

    My own mother died in a similar fashion, less harsh then dear Edith, as she laid in her bed and died of a perforated bowel, more “hygenic” way to die verses Ediths death, but no less at the hands of the medical society!

    I am hoping that everyone who reads this blog will taking this unfortunate situation and loss of a young mother a step further by acclimating yourselves to a most hideous medical condition that rivals appendectomies, heart bypass surgery and hip replacements in our country, and throughout the world!”

    God Bless the Family and friends of Edith, thak-God Edith is with our Lord as her suffering is over, and thiers lives on!



11. Joey Says:
    June 20th, 2007 at 6:36 am

    Yes, I did pay for my daughter’s visits. We never met our deductible last year, so I paid out-of-pocket any time we went to the doctor. (Our deductible is $500 per person, max of $1500, annually.) So, I’m really getting tired of paying a premium that keeps skyrocketing because everyone else is using the plan more than me. I want catastrophic coverage with a low deductible, for use in conjunction with my HSA, but my employer doesn’t offer it.

    And by the way, anyone can start an HSA. It doesn’t have to be used along with an insurance plan of any sort. It can be stand-alone, and it operates similar to a Retirement Plan (only you can take money out of it when you have a medical expense). Plus, unlike a Flex plan, the money can be rolled over year after year, and can be cashed out later if you don’t use it.

    What do you think about the $15,000 per family tax credit that Bush wants to offer, so that families can purchase their own portable plans without having to deal with ‘Group’ plans that simply are cost-shifters that make those who don’t use insurance pay more? If people can go out and purchase their own plans, this will drive the market costs of insurance down. I think it’s a great idea.

    But instead, we have these plans that are mandated by government to cover things like ‘port wine stain removal’ and alcoholism. Minnesota mandates that employer-provided health insurance covers things like this. So why should I have to pay more for my insurance, due to these coverage additions, that I’m never going to use? I’m not an alcoholic, and I don’t have port wine stains, so why does the government mandate coverage of things like this, that only drives up the cost? Well, because it gets certain people elected. Government needs to get less involved in what insurance plans should cover, because it drives up the cost for everyone.

    Please excuse me if I don’t want government being the benefactor of my health care.

    I don’t see health coverage as a right - for anyone. No one pays my grocery or heating bill, why should the taxpayers pay for my insurance? I need food to stay alive…Should the government pay for that, too?

    Unfortunately, we have gotten into the mindset that health coverage and care shouldn’t cost us anything, and that’s why we’re in the mess we’re in. If the government would simply give us a large tax credit, so that we can afford to buy our own portable plans - not connected to anyone else but ourselves, similar to auto insurance - it would most certainly drive the cost down, and wouldn’t cost taxpayers nearly what universal healthcare would.

    Thanks for the exchange. I have to get going, because I’m headed to a roundtable discussion of local Human Resource professionals about this very subject. I’ll let you know the report, if you’re interested.



12. Dana Says:
    June 23rd, 2007 at 6:51 am

    I currently work as a nurse between the ER and Critical Care ICU at a large hospital. I was deeply saddened to hear of the poor care that this woman received. However, most people don’t realize the hurt and strain that our hospitals are going through right now. Our not-for-profit hospital is actually losing money on each patient that walks through our ER and ICU. I’m not sure the correct quote for the ER, but our ICU loses over $5,000 dollars per patient… no business including hospitals are able to operate appropriately with those numbers. With Medicare (who covers the majority of our patients) only covering just over 80% of our patient’s stay and more and more patients without any insurance at all (which our hospital has to absorb) our hospitals are scratching to even stay afloat besides trying to better themselves and to further educate our employees. This is just the beginning of the break-down our system is going to endure unless we are properly funded.



13. nae Says:
    June 23rd, 2007 at 8:18 am

    http://journals.aol.com/imnae2u/life-in-general/entries/2007/06/23/edith-isabel-rodriguez/1723

    insane isnt it !



14. Karen Says:
    July 1st, 2007 at 4:43 pm

    I don’t think insurance was an issue in this case because none of the patients there had insurance. The people who work at MLK Harbor have a long history of indifference and incompetence. They aren’t qualified.

    In today’s (7/2/07 )LA Times, Congresswoman Maxine Waters defends Linda Rutlen, the triage nurse who let Edith Rodriguez writhe in pain in the floor for 45 minutes in a pool of her own blood and vomit, saying that Rutlen thought that Rodriguez was “faking pain.”

    Was she faking the pool of blood and vomit too?

    Waters thinks nothing of exploiting Rodriguez’s death to keep jobs for the incompetent people who work in that hospital. Make no mistake–to her that hospital is nothing but a jobs program.

    Sadly, that attitude is why the hospital is now forced to close. If Congresswoman Waters and County Supervisor Braithwaite-Burke placed patient care above jobs for incompetent people, the hospital could simply fire the entire staff and administration and hire qualified people in their place. But they consistently block those efforts, invoking the 1965 Watts riots and the dream of Martin Luther King. Gee, I think Martin would hate the fact that a hospital named after him is now known as “Killer King.”

    The public needs to see what happened to Edith Rodriguez to ensure that it doesn’t happen to anybody else. That’s why the LA County Board of Supervisors must release the hospital security video. This hospital is supported by taxpayer dollars, which gives us the right to see the video.

    Release the video!!!



15. Karen Says:
    July 1st, 2007 at 4:54 pm

    As I understand it she was a drug addict with a criminal record.
    _________________________________

    So what.

    Comments like that are used to dehumanize the victim and make her responsible for her own death. Edith Rodriguez was a patient in an emergency room, who was left to writhe in a pool of her own vomit and blood for 45 minutes. First and foremost she was a human being, one with the disease of addiction.

    There is NO EXCUSE for this kind of treatment. It just occurs to me that the people who watched Edith Rodriguez die probably had the same attitude as you. I hope you are neevr allowed to work in a hospital.

    I don’t want my tax dollars paying for employees who can watch people die without even trying to help them.



16. sandy Says:
    July 1st, 2007 at 5:33 pm

    help these poor souls



17. lauren Says:
    September 16th, 2007 at 10:24 am

    What a tragic and horrible way to die.



18. Edith Isabel Rodriguez, Part 2 | This Journey Says:
    November 19th, 2007 at 1:36 pm

    [...] is in part a response to yet another comment to the effect that some people just aren’t good enough to get health care. I want to be very [...]



19. Larry Cardenas Says:
    May 13th, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    This responce is for Proxima. I noticed the your story about your expierance at the hospital. I actually work for the firm that is taken care of Mrs. Rodriguez’s case. If you or anybody has an expierance or information that can be helpful to the family or to us, please contact me anytime. My email address is lcardenas28@yahoo.com or you can see our website at http://www.cascolawcenter.com …. Thank You

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