Los Angeles county officials are struggling to make sense of how a woman died, allegedly without treatment, at an area hospital. Forty-three year old Edith Isabel Rodriguez had come to Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital complaining of severe stomach pain. While waiting for treatment, she became unresponsive and died. Now officials are interviewing hospital staffers involved in the case, and a nurse involved with this incident has been put on administrative leave. County supervisors met this week in a closed-door meeting to discuss how they should respond to the problem. Meanwhile, they're moving ahead with a medical investigation of the woman's death. This incident comes in the wake of dramatic changes at the hospital, formerly known as King/Drew, which serves a large population of poor and uninsured patients.
To learn more about the issue:
- read this Los Angeles Times piece [1]
Related Articles:
Drew U. plans to close residency program. Report [2]
King/Drew patients may be scattered. Report [3]
Officials meet to determine King/Drew's fate. Report [4]
Famous surgeon blasts King/Drew. Report [5]
Links:
[1] http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-kingharbor16may16,1,2218046.story?ctrack=1&cset=true
[2] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/node/4162
[3] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/king-drew-patients-may-be-scattered/2006-10-17
[4] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/officials-meet-to-determine-king-drews-fate/2006-09-26
[5] http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/famous-surgeon-blasts-king-drew/2006-07-07