I am posting this on my mothers behalf because she is having issues with the site:

Wow! I now have the answer the price of a person’s life is $68.00. Can you hear me now!

 

I want to tell you the story for my daughter’s life and how she ended it, August 25th, 2014.

 

Suzie was a happy 26 year old with an infectious smile, working at a nursing home in southern Minnesota, when on Feb 11, 2014 she injured her right ankle while assisting a resident with cares. She submitted the injury report with her supervisor immediately, according to policy.

 

Her first Dr. appointment (with x-rays) was on February 14th, 2014, since no break was found she was sent to a Orthopedic center for further evaluation.

 

An MRI on February 27th 2014, where tendon damage was suspected and ultimately the correct diagnosis. Suzie was placed in a boot to protect her ankle and given narcotics to relieve the pain. Physical therapy started on March 19th approximately twice a week, with great pain for her, and she remained in the boot for stabilization as she tried to work minimal hours (like 2 hours a day feeding residents at her facility) until her first Independent Medical Exam of (IME) June 1st 2014; where a Dr. barely touched her, asked her to walk without the boot and sent her home, the exam lasted exactly 7 minutes!

 

Work Comp finally denied her claim on June 13th, 2014.

 

When she received the denial letter she was at work and her boss made her return to full duty, pushing wheel chairs and giving showers even though the Dr., who’s care she was under, had not released her. She tried and came home in tears even with the narcotics; and never returned to work, because she could not physically do the job with the injury. Another doctor appointment June 16th, 2014 and she was scheduled for surgery on June 30th, 2014. Where her tendon sheath was repaired as that was the damage from February 11th, and would never have healed with PT or braces to protect her ankle. During the surgery her heel was moved so there could not be possible damage to her tendon in the future.

 

Suzie was on pain medications (these medications where closely monitiored by the MD) including: Oxi-codone, Oxi-contin, Percoset, and Anti-nausea medications to relieve the pain, the medications made her sick to her stomach so eating was difficult for her. Through this entire ordeal, she was of the opinion that no one would believe she was hurt and in pain other than the family. The therapy center made sure she came home with a knee wheeler so she could kneel and get around the house without crutches, because she could not put weight on her leg even if she lost her balance. We even took the door off the bathroom so she had easier access. We bought an ice therapy machine to keep the swelling down after the surgery which became her best friend and constant companion.

 

After almost 6 weeks in the living room we finally removed the bed and she would crawl up the 13 stairs to her room finally to some privacy after being stuck in one room and always with family.

 

Her PT started August 4th again after some healing was visible on x-ray. Twice a week joking with the staff and always a smile. She joked with her therapist she was the “problem child”, and was the “brain buster” for the therapy department.

 

After Robin William’s death we talked at length here at home and in therapy about how sad that was and that she could never do that to the family. A few days later when I got home from work she told me that she had taken a few of those depression self-tests on line and they said to get help. It took me 2 days to get her to call the MD because she knew we had no money with one income.

 

So when she did call, we were told to bring $100.00 due to the past due bill, she refused and said, "it will be ok, we can go on pay day". The next day she called back, and was told that she must bring in $68.00 to be seen, again she refused to go in but no alternatives were given to her as far as services available! More importantly, no staff member with any medical training was EVER told about her call, it was left up to reception and billing!

 

So $68.00 is the cost of a life really, any for-profit medical facility can refuse to see any patient and because her bills from work comp were now past due, she ended her life. We are grieving and her infectious smile is gone forever, the world is a darker place to live in.

 

I have been in the medical field as a nurse since 1983 licensed and since 1973 starting as a candy stripper and CNA, when did money trump a person’s life! Caring and compassion is what I got into this field for.

 

MAKE NOISE - NOT 1 MORE!

 

No other family should ever face what I saw, no other family should ever come home to find their loved family member blue, cold and dead. Or be given CPR by a grieving mother and ambulance crew which, I knew when I started, was not going to give her back to me.

 

So that brings us up to today:

 

Please help me change the law throughout every state in the United States. No matter what type of medical facility you are, if anyone at any time calls your office: treat them, keep them safe, give them access to the resources they need, hold their hand and keep them alive. Treat psychiatric emergencies just like critical medical emergencies; and require all staff at ANY medical or psychiatric facility basic training to recognise these emergencies.

 

We ask that you not only share this petition on all of your social media outlets but, also with all of your state and local legislators so we can get as much attention on this issue as possible and get the policies changed and a law created to stop this tragedy from happening again. Take a look at the following websites and select your state for the contact information to contact the elected officials in your area and tell them that you are in favor of making this change, and how it affects you:

 

State Senators contact list -

 

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?

 

State Representatives contact list -

 

http://m.house.gov/representatives/states.php

 

Also, if you or anyone you know has had an experience with suicide and found the information on the internet that helped them take their own lives, or has asked for help and been denied for financial reasons, please contact me at (docandbaby@yahoo.com) so I can forward that to the legislators we are in contact with and show them that this is a problem that is not limited to just one person but is nationwide. And please know that you have my sincerest condolences.

 

Thank you for helping make her life meaningful, save one life. Please help me change the thinking of the medical community.

We are currently in contact with state legislators in multiple states but we ask you to contact yours as well, every voice counts - now more than ever.