Someone in a small hospital in Missouri needs to lose their job.  Straight up, you violated HIPPA you need to disclose yourself to the administrator and suffer disciplinary action.  Why? Simple you violated the patient’s right to privacy and allowed information about a patient to be reported without his consent.

 

The video of law enforcement searching the cancer patient’s room has become viral clickbait that is up and down my Facebook feed more than a pole dancer at a frat party. Strangely, after the exam it is not the cops’ fault.  It is a healthcare worker who owes a lot of people an explanation.  The 911 call was anonymous (which Karianne is the chickenshit way you would do it).

 

Okay, not every person in healthcare is “cool” with cannabis or medical cannabis nor do you have to be.  However, healthcare providers, we are not there for our egos or “health” (get it, it’s a pun…damn kids…). We are there for the patients.  Day in, day out, like them, hate them, we are there for them.  We aren’t the cops, and we are not an arm of the cops.  It is not in anyone’s mandatory reporting guidelines to report drug use.  Money said the person who did prescribe for the gentleman knew exactly what he was doing and was ok with it.  If they weren’t ok with it, they shouldn’t have taken the patient and respectfully declined care and transferred that care to another physician. There are tons of rumors spreading around but let me just cut to the chase, it is most likely a nurse who had a bee in their bonnet over the patient’s general demeanor as well as the fact that he is prescribed tons of narcotic pain killers he refused or took minimal doses.  I call these nurses the, “I know it better because I have been around forever” nurses.  Ugh, Barbie, stay in your damn lane and go back to quoting scripture in the breakroom, not everyone flies that way.

 

My view on cannabis is simple; whatever. No really, there is no evidence that it is harmful in general and has had some promising trials in many areas of health care. Does everyone need it? (well maybe Karianne and Karen could share some to help mellow them out) no, everyone does not require it or even want it.

 

Simple folks it is not any of our business.  So what, Dorothy Do Good, did you think would happen when you called 911? He’s not getting hauled off to the pokey for something that will soon not be illegal in that state. That and the county the hospital is in most likely couldn’t afford the stifling costs of a cancer patient as an inmate.  Do you just not like the guy because he is a human at the end of his life and he knows it.  He is vulnerable, just the kind of person that we in healthcare owe our best care to, even if it sucks, is tough, requires us to engage truly.  I have found my best results come from being up front at the beginning and really listening and spending the time during an assessment to find out what makes this patient, this patient.  Yes, even if they are an asshole (yes kids you get called that behind your back if you are one…I, on the other hand, tend to tell you to your face and tell you why that won’t get you anywhere).

 

So, the hospital violated HIPPA and subjected this patient to a search that is questionable as well since it is the patient’s personal effects.  I am laying off the cops on this one because I won’t have any impact on their behavior.  I will ride Bolivar Missouri’s Citizen’s Memorial Hospital because they have some “housekeeping” to do (Damn I miss Kelly, she would have got that one).  This patient was vulnerable, and obviously, someone cooked up false information to call the cops.  You sensing the theme here?

 

Any patient with chronic illness (ok one more pun) is vulnerable and honestly many of them can be assholes because they are subjected to a healthcare system that is limited on the level and type of care delivered. It is tough to take someone who is terminal and know that you can’t save them and that they don’t want you to.  Say it with me kids, they are vulnerable and need your attention as much as anyone on the ward. You will not be worth a shit as a provider if you don’t get that and roll forward.

 

I encountered something grossly illegal the first day as a brand spankin new LPN. I had a patient with a central line (pretty sophisticated IV access used for heavy-duty antibiotics, chemo, etc. designed to be in place for a month at a time). When I rolled in the room his girlfriend was injecting heroin in that line (he had the works and bag of the drug right there). I left the room not sure what to say, except to call the house supervisor because I didn’t know what to do.  She did not roll up with the SWAT team or even a group of ruler-wielding nuns (it was a Catholic hospital, so that was possible).  She did come up and chat with the patient.  I know she was angry AF (as the kids say), but she never communicated it to that man.  She did talk about policies and why he can’t do that, but more importantly, she listened as to why he “needed” to do that. Thankfully his doctor was also super good with vulnerable populations and helped figure things out. When you think of it all medicine and patient care is, is figuring things out. That’s why I put up with it.

 

 

The Bats are gleefully flying themselves home.  I have to see if my flight changes…