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Dec. 2, 2003
A Message To The GW Community
By now many of you are aware of the recent allegations of racial bias
that surfaced involving a patient treated at GW Hospital’s Emergency
Room on the night of Oct. 11. Although it became clear to us very early
on that the allegations of bias are entirely without substance, we have
been reviewing both our overall ER procedures and the events of that specific
evening. We continue to work closely with the mayor’s office and
other authorities in the investigation.
I want to take this opportunity to share with you some of our progress
in the investigation, along with some statistics about how GW Hospital
is indeed a hospital that treats everyone.
In late October, inspectors from the US Department of Health and Human
Services were here investigating whether GW Hospital in any way violated
the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). We also
are awaiting the findings of the DC Regulatory Agency investigation that
took place recently. We expect they will find the allegations of racial
bias to be baseless and we look forward to working with them on any opportunities
for process improvement.
The hospital obtained the outgoing phone record for Oct. 11, 2003, which
lists that a call requesting ambulance bypass was placed from the emergency
department nursing station to EMS at 11:36 pm. And after reviewing the
video surveillance system from the evening of Oct. 11, we found that the
patient in question was indeed admitted and immediately transported to
a trauma bay at 11:47 pm. This occurred six minutes after the EMS reportedly
placed the emergency department on ambulance bypass.
Finally, we have tallied emergency room visits from January–September
2003. The numbers speak for themselves:
- 39 percent of our ER patients live outside
the District
- 61 percent of ER patients reside in DC
- Of those who reside in DC, 23 percent come
from zip codes in the southeast Washington neighborhood
- Only 16 percent of our patients come from the
neighborhoods surrounding GW Hospital
My goal here is to share information
on our progress in this case. But I also want you to know how this information
has helped transform the shock of the initial allegation into a reaffirmation
of the pride that I know we all feel toward the GW Medical Center and
the Hospital. Like you, I was stunned to hear the suggestion that the
hospital would treat people differently based on race. And like me, I
know you will feel vindicated as you learn the findings and statistics
that blow this allegation out of the water.
While it is tempting to vent anger at those who made the allegation or
at some members of the media who reflexively passed on faulty and inaccurate
information to the public (some reports said the patient died, others
said the patient was never admitted), I urge everyone to keep the focus
on the larger challenge of shoring up the system of emergency care in
the District and the region. It is no secret that this system is severely
strained. Emotions are running high and people are frustrated. It is in
this environment that an unfounded allegation of racism managed to take
on a life of its own.
As we work to address this specific controversy, GW Medical Center and
GW Hospital will not lose sight of the larger challenge of bringing quality
emergency care to all residents in the District and the region. We have
already seized the momentum in this case, meeting several times with Mayor
Anthony Williams and other officials on how to address the chronic challenges
we all face. These meetings will continue long after the current controversy
is laid to rest. The entire community is suffering through an ongoing
crisis, and we at GW are committed to doing our part to help.
Sincerely,
John F. Williams, MD, EdD, MPH,
Provost and Vice President for Health Affairs
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
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