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Action Alert!
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11/20/03
The following letter is from the Hospice Patients Alliance newsletter (subscribe by emailing Ron Panzer at HPAnewsletter@hospicepatients.org)
NOTE: The following information is from Candess Rollins and Joe Moran (daughter and son-in-law of Barbara Rourke, a woman who is being starved by the Holy Cross Hospital.
Candess is the daughter and legal medical power of attorney for Barbara Rourke, a dementia patient who is in her late 60s. This family has had some trouble with health care for their mother at a hospice, and the story was published in the New Times Broward-Palm Beach newspaper (see below).
Barbara was placed in hospice under the sometimes questionable diagnosis of "failure to thrive" though her children report that Barbara was eating and drinking up till a few days ago when Barbara choked on a pill and was sent to the hospital. She is also there for treatment of a urinary tract infection, according to Candess and Joe. Barbara has stated to her children that she does want care and is in no way wanting to die. She smiles and interacts with her children and visitors. She is confirmed by testing as NOT having had a stroke. The hospice nurses have tried to get the family to NOT put in a PEG feeding tube and to let her die, though she is NOT actively dying of anything at all!
Up until Monday she has been stable, until she choked, now she hasn't had any food or water at all since Sunday, and she keeps getting weaker and weaker.... Prior to this event she was eating fair amounts of food, asked for food and special foods she asked for and said "she loved this or that" etc.... The hospital physicians were giving her NOTHING except a minimal amount of fluid through her I.V. line "to keep open" which is NOT the amount of fluid which is required by the body to keep fully hydrated.
After contacting the Hospice Patients Alliance, the children called the hospital, recognizing they have to be assertive, and demanded that adequate fluids be given as well as nutrition or even some glucose or dextrose (standard fluid preparations) through the I.V. line until the PEG feeding tube is placed. The hospital has delayed placing the feeding tube since Monday when Barbara went to the hospital. Barbara has not eaten anything since SUNDAY since she choked on the pill first thing on Monday morning. So it is already three full days since she ate anything.
Hospital Staff Reportedly Not Feeding Barbara Rourke!
The hospital staff "promised" they would put the tube in Tuesday, then they promised the tube would be placed Wednesday, and now they say perhaps tomorrow. According to Candess and Joe, the doctor, a Dr. Asha Gupta, license # ME61061, told them that "maybe tomorrow the feeding tube will be placed, and maybe by tomorrow night some time, she may start getting some feedings through the tube, if it is approved by the G.I. specialist."
The hospital that has reportedly not given Barbara Rourke any nutrition for almost four days is: Holy Cross Hospital 4725 North Federal Highway Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308 (this is in Broward County, Florida) Telephone: 954-771-8000.
The hospital is part of the Sisters of Mercy Catholic hospital chain, supposedly a Christian organization, yet it appears that the hospital staff intends to kill off Barbara Rourke, according to her children's reports, through passive euthanasia ... the killing of patients through neglect, failure to feed them, failure to provide hydration.
[Lisa's note: Roman Catholicism is not Christianity. The Pope, a man who represents Roman Catholicism and called the "vicar of Christ" carries a twisted cross. This is a satanic symbol and indicates which "Christ" this man represents. It is Antichrist, or Satan. By the same token, many Protestant organizations also mark their organizations with satanic symbols and also promote doctrines which will send their followers to hell. Jesus Christ is not satanic and not one speck of darkness is in Him. His real followers do not violate His word as revealed in the Holy Bible, and they do not stay in satanically-marked "churches" or fund satanically-marked organizations. Read more about the satanic twisted cross here.]
After Joe and Candess objected to this mistreatment of Barbara, the hydration rate was increased to 100 cc/hour sufficient to properly hydrate Barbara, but any form of nutrition or even glucose or dextrose solution has been forbidden by the physician in charge of her care at this time: Dr. Asha Gupta. When told by Joe that he did not want his mother-in-law euthanized, Joe reports Dr. Gupta said, "I don't know what that term euthanasia means!" Yeah, RIGHT!!!
Holy Cross Hospital states that one of its core values is "Reverence for each person" "We believe that each person is a manifestation of the sacredness of human life" at least that's what they write! See: http://www.holy-cross.com/general/corevalues.php
We are asking you to call the Adult Protective Services through the Department of Children and Family Adult Services in Fort Lauderdale at: 800-962-2873.
Tell the case worker that the hospital staff are refusing to honor the direct request of the medical power of attorney for Barbara Rourke (Candess Rollins - Barbara's daughter), that nutrition be provided immediately! We are also asking that you contact the Fort Lauderdale police department at: 954-828-5700 to report the abuse and neglect of Barbara Rourke (currently in room 408) at the hospital. If there are any of you in the Fort Lauderdale area (or who could travel there), please let me know. An article about prior problems Barbara had with a hospice in Florida is copied below for your reference. The reporter has done an excellent job reporting on many of the issues involved in that setting. We question whether Barbara Rourke was ever truly "hospice appropriate" since a diagnosis of "failure to thrive" can be very subjective. Is it possible that she was placed there to "milk the system" for the hospice? Is it possible she was then later discharged so that no investigation of an inappropriate admission could be avoided? Did you know that Vitas Hospice (the hospice involved) was under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for fraud back in 1998 which was well publicized in the Washington Post. See: http://www.hospicepatients.org/hospwp.html and http://www.calnurse.org/cna/news/wp61498.html
IS RESPECT FOR THE PATIENT'S WISHES A ONE-WAY STREET??? ONLY IF THE PATIENT WISHES TO DIE? THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FROM WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN BARBARA ROURKE'S CASE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW IN FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA, as reported by Candess Rollins and Joe Moran.
Please take the time to make calls to the media, the Adult Protective Services (800-962-2873), the police (954-828-5700) and the hospital administrator (954-771-8000) asking them to make sure that Barbara Rourke is properly cared for.-end newsletter excerpt
Updates
Barbara Rourke: Rescued From Apparent Euthanasia Attempt
11/20/03 4:07 pm
Update on Barbara Rourke Feeding Situation
11/21/03
Update on Barbara Rourke Feeding Situation (Great News!)
11/22/03 Holy Cross Hospital and Doctor: What is Their Real Agenda Concerning Barbara Rourke?
11/23/03 Barbara Scheduled to Come Home on Monday
11/25/03 Barbara Rourke is Home! |