A committee hearing last week showed how angry the public is still over the health system’s patient isolation policy during the coronavirus pandemic, and how the health system itself would probably do it all over again if needed. It became clear.
The House Committee on Health and Human Services heard last week from Alaskans from across the state about their fears of dying alone without their loved ones holding hands during the Covid-19 pandemic. When hospitals enacted strict “no visitor” rules, people said they should be with their husbands, grandparents, and children when they died or were in danger of dying in hospital during the pandemic. I said it was forbidden.
North Pole’s Rita Trometter describes how her adult son became terminally ill several years ago.
“As parents, we promised him he would never be alone,” she said. She, her husband, and friends took turns staying with him at the hospital.
“He was with someone he trusted and was comfortable 24/7,” Trometter told the committee. “Yes, I slept in his room, even if the medical staff didn’t want it. This is what we do for our family, especially our children.” Lonely to her son It made all surgeries, medical procedures, paperwork, and interactions with doctors less stressful.
“Your child will always be your child, regardless of age,” she continued. As a result, government control of our lives for health care in the future will undermine the little trust left in the medical field.”
Kristin Hills of Big Lake explains how her grandmother was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2020 and was admitted to hospice care. She was depressed, angry, scared and she wanted to call home alone and be with her family…she had no one for her. ‘Her family had always promised her that she would not die alone, but their hands were tied.
Hills said the idea that isolating her grandmother would prevent her from contracting the novel coronavirus didn’t work.
“The family couldn’t kill her, but the staff could kill her. Ended up saying goodbye to the family on Cole, she passed away in the night and we are now living in pain knowing we weren’t able to fulfill our last wishes to grandma – alone I will not die in.”
Hills also described how a mentally ill family member with a five-year-old child with intellectual capacity was diagnosed with Covid and had to be hospitalized for being severely dehydrated. I was at the Matsu Regional Hospital for 6 days.
“I am appalled that in a free society we are debating whether or not we can be with our loved ones when they are sick or near death,” Hills said. “This is exactly what happened in Nazi Germany, but here we are allowing the same thing to happen in our country.”
Others called the commission to similar stories of loved ones dying alone in hospitals. He didn’t necessarily die of Covid, but he was isolated from his family due to an epidemic that caused the hospital to enact its strictest policies.
HB52 It is sponsored by Rep. Sarah Vance of Homer and co-hosted by Rep. Tom McKay of Anchorage and Rep. Ben Carpenter of Nikiski. Vance said he will introduce similar measures to the House of Representatives in 2021, as an amendment to the telemedicine bill during a special session. Her amendment was supported by a majority of the members. But then it got caught up in politics and a bill was introduced at the request of the Hospital Association.
Bernadette Wilson, state director of Americans for Prosperity Alaska, reminded the Marvin Abbott Commission that some others from Anchorage were Kodiak men at a protest on the lawn of the no-visitors policy during the Covid pandemic. joined the
But Rep. Zach Fields, an Anchorage Democrat who appears to support hospital no-visitor policies, tells her why prosperity-seeking Americans are advocating for more regulation on hospitals. Asked and challenged Wilson. Wilson said AFP has always stood for freedom and family and was happy to sit with him and discuss the group’s priorities and how the group’s support for his HB 52 fits into the concept of individual freedom. I answered that I would like to discuss whether to do so.
Rep. Dan Sadler asked Jared Kosin, who runs the Alaska Hospitals and Health Care Association trade group, whether the hospital intends to apologize to those separated from their families due to the no-visitor policy.
“You said there was no change in visitation policy, but there was an implementation of an existing policy that was rarely implemented. In other words, this was not a new policy, it was just a limb that led to the refusal of visits.” Congressman Sadler said.
“As far as we know, visitation has never been so restricted,” Kosin told the committee by phone. “And pre-Covid and through Covid, our documented policy on visitation did not change.
The policy envisions clinical situations where visitation needs to be limited, Kosin said. “It has to be a rational decision and is basically up to the clinical team. has been exercised in writing.
Senator Sadler was not satisfied.
“Mr. Kosin, I heard a bit of a mistake in your comment. You said you were aware of the horrible situation that happened. Also, if another pandemic of highly contagious disease occurs in the future, The same policies that allowed visitation restrictions in the past will now apply, so we’re taking this opportunity to see how the healthcare industry might implement these policies differently in the event of another pandemic. Is there any way you think it might?” Sadler asked Kosin.
“The problem is we’re all trying to predict what future pandemics will look like,” Kosin replied. “We don’t know what it will be. We don’t know if it targets adolescents or dates back to the plagues of the Middle Ages.” The policy will allow hospitals to deal with situations that are currently unknown. There are circumstances requiring clinical judgment that visitor restrictions “may be necessary,” he said.
Later in the hearing, Sadler tried Kosin again. Is there a way for the healthcare industry to express its apologies to the families of those who have lost loved ones alone?
Kosin disagrees: I would like to ask the nurses, doctors, and support staff who have been in the hospital, who have lost friends or seen trauma, to ask your question and seek the same apology.”
Kosin ended up dominating the hearing, with several Alaskans unable to hear.
Jennifer Kadake of Kake testified on behalf of people living in rural southeastern Alaska, explaining the issue from another angle: informed consent and the need for patients to have their own advocates. I talked. She described how she was involved in a car accident that was consistent with her vital signs being stable, although her wounds were severe.
“Had I been able to be with a support person of my choice during treatment, I would have definitely avoided the very painful experience of actually having nightmares.” For example, the supporter would have told the provider that they were treating people who had a background in the medical field and were trained to perform emergency medical interventions such as intraosseous injections, also known as “IO”. is known”
During emergency treatment at the health center in her home village, the medical provider was unable to gain access to a vein, and as a result chose to proceed with excruciating IO. I had the painful procedure of sticking needles into my bones until they reached me.
“My pleas and cries to refuse the IO procedure would not have gone unheeded if I had the right to bring a helper of my choice with me,” she said. and tried the painful procedure again. “That was around the time I passed out from the pain.”
Kadake said informed consent was not enforced and patients should have an advocate if possible. In small communities like hers, rural emergency care facilities are not informed about the rights of patients to their chosen support personnel, and “there is no information given to patients about their rights,” she noted. bottom. She said people in Alaska seeking some form of treatment are entitled to help.
Others who testified in support of HB 52 included Barbara Tyndall of the North Pole, former Congressman Chris Tuck of Anchorage, Larisa Fonov of Wasilla, Kelly Toth of Chugiac, Alison Libby of Anchorage, and Connie Graf of Anchorage. , Anchorage’s Peggy Rotan, and Evelyn. Dutton of Anchorage.
