‘Drug addicts deserve respect too’

Mother said hospital staff showed little compassion, patience for her daughter

A retired nurse is speaking out about what she said was inhumane treatment by staff toward her drug-addicted daughter while at a St. John’s hospital.

The woman — who opted not to give her name to protect her daughter— told The Telegram that she couldn’t believe the kind of negative attitude nurses at St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital had toward her 25-year-old daughter, “Nancy” (not her real name) during a recent visit.

“I’ve never experienced anything like it,” the woman said during a recent interview at her downtown home. “They were rude to her, abrupt, made remarks to her like, ‘Pretty girls don’t throw up on themselves,’ and they had no patience for her.

“It broke my heart. My daughter was suffering and this is how they treat her? I spoke up a few times (to staff), but finally had to walk away more than once, I was so upset and in such disbelief.”

She said her daughter — who had developed sepsis, a blood infection caused by intravenous drug use — was in a bed next to a woman with lung cancer, who admitted she had smoked most of her life. She said nurses were showing kindness and compassion to that woman, but not toward Nancy.

“Everything with her was ‘my love’ this and ‘my love’ that (to the other woman), but their attitude completely changed when they dealt with (Nancy) and it wasn’t helping matters at all. (Nancy) was getting so upset by it all,” she said.

“Hospital staff — not just the public — have to realize that drug addicts are people too who should be treated with the same care and compassion as others suffering from other diseases — like cancer from smoking or diabetes from obesity. … An illness is an illness,” she said.

“Anyone can find themselves in our shoes at some time in their lives. Nobody — especially those in the health care profession — should be judging anyone who comes to the hospital for help, whether it’s for mental health or drug addiction. Drug addicts deserve respect too and deserve to be treated with dignity.”

The woman said she has plenty of experience dealing with drug addicts, as she was a health-care professional for more than 20 years. For much of that time, she was in charge of the addictions and mental health unit in an Alberta regional hospital.

She returned home to St. John’s four years ago when she retired.

She said Nancy started using opioids, such as Oxycontin, after she was violently raped at age 18, when they lived in Fort Mcmurray.

She sought counselling for her daughter in that city and thought things had improved, before deciding to return to this province.

However, when she realized things had gotten out of control for Nancy, she immediately flew back to Fort Mcmurray to take her to St. John’s with her.

“I wanted her with me,” the woman said. “I wanted to ensure she got the best help and treatment.”

But getting that help has been a challenge for both daughter and mother.

Nancy chose not to participate in the interview, but was listening in and did speak up a few times.

“It’s all just so frustrating,” she said, sitting on the couch turned back on. “It’s so hard going through this. It feels like there’s no way out, like it’s just never going to end.”

Each time she sought help, she said, doctors sent her home with prescriptions for more opioids. She was also turned down for the methadone program because she had been non-compliant on one occasion.

When contacted by The Telegram, an Eastern Health spokesperson forwarded a prepared statement via email. It states while the health authority cannot comment on specific cases, ER staff can consult with other healthcare team members within the mental health and addictions program, such as psychiatrists, addictions counsellors and case managers.

They can also co-ordinate a referral to other groups, such as the Recovery Centre.

It added that Eastern Health provides education on mental health and addictions as part of the orientation for employees working in emergency departments.

“Compassion is a core value and component embedded in all training and education for those who work in health care,” it states.

It went on to say that Eastern Health offers several training courses and has policies in place that provide employees with knowledge and guidelines in order to care for patients “in a respectful and appropriate way.”

Nancy’s mother said she didn’t see much respectful care toward her daughter during her visit and she plans to write a letter to Health Minister John Haggie about their concerns.

“If you’re going to have these people working on these units, they should be trained how to treat people humanely,” she said.

“If you can’t treat a patient with respect, you shouldn’t become a health-care professional.

“Anybody can give a needle or put in a catheter. It’s the compassion and communication skills that makes a good nurse.”