ACTION REQUESTED
We've just received breaking news from a representative of the family of Andrea Clark about incredible and reprehensible actions underway by St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, Texas.
The family learned of a facility in Illinois that is willing to accept Andrea and offer her the opportunity to live, an expensive move that would require Andrea to be far removed from her family.
However, placing corporate greed ahead of all patient interests and the interests and wishes of the family, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital has just notified the family that they are willing to pay the almost $17,000 to move Andrea to Illinois if they will immediately - that's TODAY, move Andrea out of St. Lukes to the Illinois facility. If the family waits until tomorow to decide, St. Lukes will only pay half. And if the family can't make a decision by tomorow, the hospital may consider to pay absolutely nothing. In other words, the hospital is attempting to force Andrea out of the hospital in order to stop the financial drain of the cost of her care.
Meanwhile, the family is struggling to find a facility in Texas that will accept Andrea, who has insurance, but is being squeezed also by the insurance company. Is this fair?
The family needs time to make such a momentous decision, one that places their mother and sister far away from them and a patient that needs her family far removed from home. Although moving Andrea to Illinois is better than the alternative - essentially being euthanized by St. Lukes Hospital in Texas under an incredible law that encourages murder for profit, the family deserves time to descide.
As mentioned in our previous post, St Luke's website has the caption "Live More " on their banner and has the following description:
St. Luke's Episcopal Health System has a unique commitment to patient care. As a faith-based, non-profit organization, St. Luke's believes that true healing involves the body, mind and spirit. Our approach goes beyond religion, focusing on the healing aspects of spirituality and based on deeply held trust, love, caring, compassion, and respect for well-being and life.Obviously this is nothing more than a "come-on" just to fool patients into thinking they can be trusted to be compassionate and respect life! Isn't this a rather "sic" use of false advertising?
In light of their history, their lead should be come to St. Luke's and other Texas hospitals to have your life turned off!
Urgent help is needed from bloggers and blog readers (contact hospital and redistribute this story through your email lists). Please, immediately contact the hospital by telephone and email, and advise them of your horror that a faith-based hospital that supposedly respects life would act so irresponsibly as to put dollars before a patients life, etc.... :
St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, 6720 Bertner Ave., Houston, TX 77030
Main hospital telephone number - 832-355-1000
Email
The family reports that the phone calls are working (via RWN) and the more the better. Do both telephone and email!
More to come - still breaking ...
Cross posted from Hyscience
What on earth could be considered reprehensible about St. Luke's generouos offer? If this family's real aim is to save the life of Ms. Clark, then I would think there would be nothing else to consider. At the very least it would buy them some time, as Illinois has no similar ten-day law.
I was dubious before when I read that the family would not sign a release so that the hospital could discuss the case and give the other side of the story. Now, seeing that the hospital is offering a solution and the family is balking anyway, I have even more serious questions about what ulterior motives may be in play here.
generouos=generous