New York City Pays $2 Million To Family of Esmin Green

Esmin Green died while at Kings County Hospital after collapsing in the psychiatric ward and staffers did nothing. Now, New York City is paying out $2 million to the family after the family filed suit in July 2008.

The video is tough to watch, but no one stopped to help:



I happen to think that New York City is getting off lightly here.

A video showed the woman on the floor for more than an hour while workers at the city-run hospital did nothing to help her. It prompted widespread criticism, as well as pledges of reform.

The city’s Health and Hospitals Corporation accepted full responsibility for the death of the woman, Esmin Elizabeth Green, 49, and said it had taken steps to relieve crowding and increase the size of the staff to provide mental health services at the hospital.

The death came amid mounting concern over conditions in the psychiatric service at the hospital, the only mental health provider for many poor people in Brooklyn.

In May 2007, the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit alleging abuse and neglect of psychiatric patients at the hospital, and later that year the federal Department of Justice began an investigation. In February 2009, the authorities issued a 58-page report that found, among other problems, that patients were not treated for suicidal behavior, were routinely subdued with physical restraints and drugs instead of receiving individualized psychiatric treatment, and were abused by other patients.

The report found that conditions at the psychiatric unit were “highly dangerous and require immediate attention.” It also concluded that in at least three cases, including Ms. Green’s, employees falsified records to hide their neglect.

Not only did staffers ignore her sprawled on the floor for 45 minutes, but staffers falsified records to cover up the incident, even though the outrageous actions on the video show the callous disregard the staff had for patients.

As for actions taken by the City to fix the problems, they claim the following:

The hospital system said it had undertaken numerous reforms, including construction of a new Behavioral Health Center Pavilion; the addition of more than 200 doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers and other staff members; a reduction in crowding in the psychiatric emergency room; and reduced reliance on hospital police officers to manage patients in crisis.

How about better training for those on staff to recognize people in need, and that people in dire condition may not always be able to express their condition, particularly in the psychiatric ward.

The number of people on staff was irrelevant at the time of Green's death; there was staff present; they did nothing to assist Green in her time of need.

Without changing the mindset of those working at the hospital - from doctors and nurses to the janitorial staff to recognize that someone may need immediate medical attention, this situation can happen again despite the additional staffing.