Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
National

Inquest To Examine Death Of Woman Sent Home From Winnipeg Hospital In Taxi

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 10 May, 2015 02:20 PM
    WINNIPEG — A woman whose mother died hours after being sent home in a cab from hospital is hoping an inquest that is to start Monday will provide some answers and help her heal.
     
    Heather Brenan collapsed on her doorstep in January 2012 and was rushed back to Winnipeg's Seven Oaks Hospital, where she died from a blood clot that had moved to her lungs.
     
    Months later, two other patients were sent home in taxis from the Grace Hospital and died before they got inside their front doors. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority said there was no systemic problem and an internal investigation found the hospital did nothing wrong.
     
    Dana Brenan said her 68-year-old mother spent four days in the emergency room and was sent home at night without her house keys.
     
    "They just shoved her in a taxi and sent her home. That's not right," Brenan said. "I'd like to see things like that stopping, but clearly they're still happening."
     
    Manitoba's chief medical examiner called the inquest in 2013 to look into Brenan's death and to "examine hospital policy regarding the discharge of patients at night, particularly those who are elderly, frail, and who reside alone."
     
    The inquest, scheduled to sit for three weeks, is also to determine whether a shortage of acute-care beds might have been a factor in Brenan's death.
     
    The health authority updated its discharge guidelines, but Brenan's daughter said there are still problems. Hospital staff should be well educated on a standard policy that ensures vulnerable people aren't sent home alone at night, she said.
     
    "The policies are written, put on a shelf, and nobody is ensuring that they're being followed. I'd like more accountability."
     
    Miles Pollack has little faith in the inquest.
     
    His uncle, David Silver, was found frozen on his doorstep about 14 hours after he had been sent home in the middle of a frigid winter night last year.
     
    An autopsy found his death was due to a heart condition, but Pollack said no one at the health authority really examined why a 78-year-old man was sent home alone in a cab in the dead of winter.
     
    He said his confidence is shaken after an internal investigation absolved hospital officials.
     
    "My expectations aren't that high," he said. "I sure hope that they do something because even one death is way, way too much."
     
    After the death of another patient, 62-year-old Wayne Miller, then-health minister Erin Selby instructed all health authorities to ensure that patients sent home in cabs make it into their homes. Miller was  spotted on a sidewalk by a passing driver who called 911.
     
    Brad Hartle, spokesman for Health Minister Sharon Blady, said in a statement that the province is looking for "answers on what could have been done differently or better in the case of Ms. Brenan and to further make sure patients are being discharged appropriately and safely."
     
    Felicia Wiltshire, spokeswoman for the Winnipeg health authority, said in a statement that officials are focused on "continuous improvement" and look forward to the inquest's recommendations. She wouldn't discuss changes to the hospital discharge process.
     
    For Dana Brenan, the inquest is as much about healing as it is about forcing change.
     
    "I am hoping for closure," she said. "I don't know whether this inquest will bring that about."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    B.C. Appeal Court To Rule On Long-Standing Dispute Between Teachers And Province

    B.C. Appeal Court To Rule On Long-Standing Dispute Between Teachers And Province
    VANCOUVER — British Columbia's highest court is set to release its ruling on a long-standing dispute between the province and teachers, who waged a lengthy strike last summer.

    B.C. Appeal Court To Rule On Long-Standing Dispute Between Teachers And Province

    Vancouver Police Make Arrests At Marijuana Store Amid City Debate On Regulation

    Vancouver police raided and arrested staff at a marijuana store Wednesday, just one day after city council voted to hold public consultations on regulating pot shops.

    Vancouver Police Make Arrests At Marijuana Store Amid City Debate On Regulation

    US Makes About-Turn With Praise For Modi, But Brickbats For BJP

    US Makes About-Turn With Praise For Modi, But Brickbats For BJP
    Ten years after denying a visa to Narendra Modi, the US has made an about-turn praising the Indian prime minister for his statement in support of religious freedom, but slammed ruling BJP politicians for religious intolerance.

    US Makes About-Turn With Praise For Modi, But Brickbats For BJP

    Camphor Mothballs Mixed With Candy In More Than 1,100 B.C. Food Bank Hampers

    Camphor Mothballs Mixed With Candy In More Than 1,100 B.C. Food Bank Hampers
    PORT MOODY, B.C. — A British Columbia health authority is warning that camphor mothballs were accidentally mixed with candy and distributed in more than 1,100 food bank hampers.

    Camphor Mothballs Mixed With Candy In More Than 1,100 B.C. Food Bank Hampers

    Accused Terrorists' Laptops Had Extremist Content, Bomb-making Guide: B.C. Trial

    Accused Terrorists' Laptops Had Extremist Content, Bomb-making Guide: B.C. Trial
    VANCOUVER — Laptops seized from a pair of accused B.C. terrorists held recordings of the Qur'an alongside extremist literature and concealed files with instructions on building and setting off bombs, a trial has heard.

    Accused Terrorists' Laptops Had Extremist Content, Bomb-making Guide: B.C. Trial

    Former Canadian Ambassador Named To Japanese Order For Building Ties

    Former Canadian Ambassador Named To Japanese Order For Building Ties
    The consulate of Japan in Vancouver says in a news release that Donald Campbell will receive the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star.

    Former Canadian Ambassador Named To Japanese Order For Building Ties