Wrongful Death Suit Filed After Patient Waited Hours in Emergency Room Lobby
After a patient died while waiting for care in an emergency department waiting room in Washington state, the woman’s husband has filed suit against the hospital, Providence Regional Medical Center Everett. Sean Costello, individually and on behalf of the estate of Cheyenna Costello, alleged that his wife’s death at the age of 41 in November […]
I’m A Breast Cancer Survivor. I Was Slighted And Belittled Throughout My Treatment.
The author in the recovering room following her breast cancer surgery on March 28, 2023. Courtesy of Joy Jenkins I was scared as I approached the receptionist at my oncologists’ office. I had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer at age 56 after my annual mammogram. I didn’t know yet how bad things were. Was […]
Opinion | Nobody Wants This Job. Should Physicians Stick Around?
As I enter the patient exam room, the first question is no longer, “When can I get my COVID-19 vaccine?” but rather, “Are you leaving? My old doctor left. You are my fifth doctor in 3 years. What is happening?” Nowadays, I spend more time educating patients about the visible cracks our medical system flaunts. […]
Opinion | My Patients Are My Heroes
I was standing outside the patient room, feeling slightly restless that day. A few days earlier, I had received some news from my doctor that I was not expecting. My mind sifted through the various possibilities and directions this could take me. When will I get to see my doctor to discuss this? What does […]
Introducing a protocol for using robotic pets in memory care
You might think it was a typical therapy session at a long-term care facility. In a quiet room, a therapist sets down a pet carrier, brings out a cat, and sets it on a resident’s lap. As the resident gently strokes the cat’s fur, it purrs, and the therapist asks the resident questions about their […]
Doctors Misdiagnosed Both My Friend And Me. I Lived. She Didn’t.
I was in a dusty dorm room hallway when Tori told me. “It’s cancer. Ovarian. Stage IIIC,” she said into the phone in an eerily calm way. Actually, calm is what she would remain over the next 1½ years of her cancer battle ― the opposite of my assumed reaction to such a diagnosis, which […]