EMTs Accused of Ignoring Dying, Asthmatic Pregnant Woman Back at Work
This is a pretty big story right now in New York.
Back in December, a Brooklyn Au Bon Pain cashier who suffered from asthma and was 6/7 months pregnant complained of shortness of breath and stomach pains. She later collapsed and died while, reports indicate, two emergency medical technicians on break in the restaurant refused to help. The unborn baby of the employee, 25 year-old Eutisha Rennix, died as well.
I’ve been following this story but waiting to write about it until now, since I had trouble formulating a coherent response beyond, “Are you f*ing kidding me?”
You have to read both links above to get all the details, but it appears Rennix collapsed in some sort of back room in the restaurant while the two EMTs – Jason Green and Melissa Jackson, on break and in uniform – stayed in the customer area. When other Au Bon Pain employees told Green and Jackson about Rennix’s condition, the EMTs refused to help and claimed they called a dispatcher instead. According to reports, there may be no record of this call if it went through an internal system rather than 911 channels.
Green and Jackson are back at work this week after a 30-day suspension without pay, even as the district attorney investigates and to the outrage of New Yorkers.
And me.
They’re working in an office-based, non-emergency capacity which, I guess, is at least partially positive news for the good people of New York who, should they find themselves in a situation similar to Rennix’s, would probably not want to be on the receiving end of emergency care from these two particular EMTs.
Green and Jackson also spoke publicly for the first time from their lawyer’s office this week. They say the reports of their conduct are lies.
Au Bon Pain employees, on the other hand, say Green and Jackson ignored their requests to help Rennix. In fact, this Gothamist post from December mentions an employee who remembers people yelling that Rennix was turning blue as the EMTs told them to call 911.
Rennix left behind a 3 year-old son. Her mother is now raising him.
I don’t have to tell you how this story pushes just about every one of my buttons. “Horrified” is probably too weak a word.
Here’s the part I keep coming back to: Green and Jackson assert that had they examined Rennick, they couldn’t have have treated her, anyway, not without the right equipment.
Except:
Wow. That statement’s just – it’s a stunning equivocation, isn’t it?
We did everything we could. But if we didn’t, it wouldn’t have mattered, anyway.
Not that they could actually know this for sure, since they didn’t even examine her.
Except:
Did this woman carry an inhaler? That’s what I’d really like to know. Because that qualifies as equipment, wouldn’t you say? If Rennick was known to have asthma, chances are probably at least 50/50 that she had an inhaler somewhere in that restaurant. And if she didn’t, well, asthma’s one of the most common chronic medical conditions in this country. A customer might’ve been carrying one.
Now, if Rennix were flaring severely enough to keep her from taking a full breath, maybe a quick-relief inhaler would’ve helped her and maybe not. Maybe it could’ve bought her some time until she got the emergency care she needed, or maybe she was too far gone for a bronchodilator to have any effect. Plus, as I understand the ongoing investigations, it hasn’t been conclusively determined that asthma caused her death.
However, there’s no mention anywhere, in any story, that Green and Jackson even attempted to locate an inhaler or ask if she needed one, even though Jackson admits learning about and reporting Rennick’s asthma to the emergency medical services dispatcher she claims she called.
Except:
That phone call Jackson alleges she made – has that been verified? Maybe I’ve watched The Wire too many times, but I’m assuming that even if a recording of it isn’t available, the call could at least be confirmed through the cell phone company. Although maybe criminal charges – or some other legal requirement – have to enter the picture before something like that can happen.
Except:
According to Gothamist, that particular Au Bon Pain is in the same building as an EMS dispatch center and the same complex as FDNY Headquarters. Did Green and Jackson know this? Would either of those places have the right kind of emergency equipment to help Rennick?
At any rate, between Green and Jackson themselves and those two places, we’re talking three separate institutions associated with emergency care all in the vicinity, while Rennix lay dying.
Most likely, of asthma.
Allergic Disease Switch Discovered
I write a lot about the concept of an off/on switch for the hyper-inflammation associated with asthma. Maybe this is it. At the very least, this molecule called TSLP is an important part of the overall picture.
Caretaker Resources
Finally, remember to send me your links, ideas, and other tips for the future feature on coping with asthma parenting and taking care of yourself while you do.
Must.Get.Emergency.Bracelet.For.Alorah.and.Vance.ASAP. I have no words . That is beyond sad. I really need to get an alert bracelet for Alorah and for Vance. Just tragic…so very, very sad.
OMG, that’s so scary! *shudders*
From what I’ve read in New York blogs, these two are probably back at work b/c of their union. At least, that’s what the commenters are saying–I admit I know almost nothing about unions.
And I guess they probably can’t make a case for firing these two, anyway, while the investigation is still going on, but I doubt that’s much consolation for this poor lady’s mother and son.
A long time ago and far away, while taking a CPR course, the two EMTs who were teaching the class told me that if they are officially “off duty” they legally…legally…cannot help someone even if they are dying in front of their eyes. This shocked me then and I still don’t understand why that is acceptable. I can’t remember the reason exactly why, but it was something regarding liability. One of the EMTs actually said they were in Publix getting subs when an older gentleman came out of the refrigerator gasping for breath during an apparent heart attack where she said, in her expert opinion, “He was fixin’ to die. Now.” and her partner had to run back out to the truck to put them back on duty (I guess by calling dispatch) before they could actually lay their hands on this man.
Do you think our litigious society has done this?
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