Comments on: King/Drew Medical Center: Reparations Paid Back In Blood

By: Catherine Reuter

Catherine Reuter — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 11:56:18 +0000

This is NOT a RACE Issue, but a human life issue. No hospital should be allowed to treat any human being in the manner as “Kille King” has. This is just as bad as the suffering in other countries that we all view has horrible only this time it’s on our own soil.

By: Kia

Kia — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 15:11:00 +0000

This has nothing to do with reparations. I agree with the commenter above that it’s about horrible health care supported by a good ol’ boys network that needs to be dismantled. It just happens that this network is entwined in a different variety of racial politics than we’re used to seeing.

It’s also not about allowing “competence to trump color.” That is an utterly racist and offensive statement. As if the two are related.

By: Robg

Robg — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 17:12:21 +0000

It is unfortunate that the incompetence of a few lead to this hospital closure. I was a surgery resident at King and it failure lead to my prolong and side trac medical training career (which I a still pursuing) . . . in all these stories no one has written about the professional lives of residents that this hospital has ruined. . . in my short stay there. . . I know many. In all fairness, the region did lose a very valuable asset, the trauma center. I dispite everything, I would still rate it as one of the top ten in the country for treating trauma patients and have often said if I was involved in a trauma, I want to go there, however, after they stabilize me and before I leave that trauma ICU, I wanted to be transferred. The trauma director (HC) was one of the only (2-3)MD in the surgery department that was accountable, taught, and cared. The director and chief of surgery (AF) . . . shame on him.
The truth in my statement cis evident in that at most of the area hospital that now handle trauma after Kings closure are mostly covered by King trained trauma surgeons. My hat goes off to you guys. I welcome comments.

By: Evrviglnt

Evrviglnt — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 20:39:18 +0000

It has everything to do with a perspective that says that we cannot confront deadly incompetence because black activists will attack us as being racist. Read the article. Read the Pulitzer prize winning five part series written by the Los Angeles Times. Ask Maxine Waters. Ask Jesse Jackson. Ask Ernie Smith. Their concern is not for the people that are served by that hospital - but for what the hospital represents politically.

And what does it represent? It represents the craven approach of small minded people who would rather feed on their own than reach out beyond their community to ensure a safe, healthy hospital for everyone.

By: Paula

Paula — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:54:48 +0000

My son was shot in the face with a 45 calibar weapon and was rushed to King Drew by a bus because no one else would stop for him. However there was one person who did the humane thing; he was a bus driver. He picked my son up and drove him to King Drew’s (then) open trauma center. When my son arrived more compassionate and caring people were there to make sure that they did what they could and they saved his life. The physicians, nurses, and other staff were very competent and compassionate with regards to his care. They were very professional health care providers for him and they were also very attentive and caring to my needs as a mother who’s son’s life was in jepordy. On that day every one in that hospital’s trauma “pod” center had a family member that was being treated for a life threatening event. Every staff member that I came across had only one concern and that was that thier patient received the care that they needed. It is a shame and it’s disgraceful for any person’s life to be lost because something that could have been done was not and that’s what this issue is about; THINGS THAT SHOULD AND COULD BE DONE BUT ARE NOT. This is a political issue. And it seems that in politics today humanity is a word that comes and goes according to agenda. Be it the politicians that are not doing thier jobs to ensure the health and safety of their consituants/fellow man in a health care system that has been in trouble for decades or the health care practitioners who can’t because of multiple factors or those individuals who will not do their job for what ever (sick) reason, people are dying; babies, children, mothers, fathers, sons, duaghters, grandmas, and grandpas - living, breathing human beings. The issues that are being hit back and forth are political. In the meantime PEOPLE, LIVING, BREATHING, HUMAN BEINGS; no matter what the shade of their skin are DYING. What is wrong with this picture. We can send a sattalite into outerspace and with its technology it can take clear pictures of a dime but we can not seem to be able to provide quality health care to people. My son is ALIVE today because of King Drew Medical Center. However, there are hundreds maybe even thousands of lives that are being lost because something that can be done is not and that is a disgrace. I watched King Drew, Martin Luther King Jr Medical Center (former) being built. I grew up around the corner and it was a time when the community felt a sense of change. Maybe even a sense of humanity. The reality is frightening. I moved from my old neighborhood 20 or so years ago and the hospital that gave my old neighborhood hope gave me something, it gave me the life of my son and that hospital will not be there for the live of many. It is sad and it hurts, it really hurts.