As I mentioned a few days ago, there was a letter from Whittier Presbyterian Hospital waiting for me at the post office. I picked it up today, and I'm actually rather pleased with it. I didn't get exactly what I was hoping for, but it is definitely a start. I'm very pleased that they took me seriously enough to actually respond, and not only respond, but respond quickly and by certified mail! I'm pleased that it was a reasonably genuine apology - at least as genuine as you'll ever get from a hospital administrator whose job it is to be careful with her words. I'm pleased that a review by the Ethics Committee will take place, and that my letter was forwarded to the Head of Obstetrics (yes, the one who didn't help in the first place, that one.) Maybe a second look will make him/her think again.
I'm not pleased that my request for a reprimand to Dr. Purdom was met with the suggestion that I communicate with him directly. Um, that really isn't going to help, since he has no reason whatsoever to listen to me. I'm not even his long-term patient. He has already lost my business. Why should he listen? Jessica, being a nice person, says that I should give him the benefit of the doubt. And while I suppose she might be right, honestly I'm still too mad at him to be very charitable. I'll give that he's just misguided and honestly thought he was right. (See, that is charitable, right?) But I'm highly doubtful that he's going to change his mind, no matter how many letters I send him. Besides, what I want is something in his file so that other moms have the chance to know what he did, if they choose to investigate.
In any case, I'm going to call the hospital administrator tomorrow and ask a few questions, namely: 1) when the hospital ethics committee will meet and when I can know the results of their review, 2) if I can know the results of the H of Ob.'s review, and 3) whether the hospital is refusing to reprimand Dr. Purdom, or just waiting on the results of a review before doing so.
We'll see what happens! :)
5 comments:
thanks for the update! sounds like a good start!
I didn't say benefit of the doubt! I said there was hope! 'cause, y'know, there's always hope.
:)
And, just in case it didn't come across, that doesn't mean I think you're wrong to be mad when you think about him.
Thanks for the update, and that does seem like a reasonably promising start. At least they did respond, and seem to have taken you seriously. I'll be eager to hear more about this as it unfolds!
I missed your post on what happened in the first place - where can I find it?
For those of you confused as to what I'm talking about, the original birth story post is here: http://laundryandlullabies.blogspot.com/2007/05/birth-story.html
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