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Hospital Changes After Trans Woman Ridiculed


BALL MEMORIAL HOSPITAL X390 (FAIR) | ADVOCATE.COM

An Indiana hospital has made changes such as mandatory training on gender identity after an incident in which a transgender patient said she was mocked and denied treatment at the emergency room.

According to WISH TV, Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie has been working with equality groups to improve services, and mistreated patient Erin Vaughn is happy with the developments.

“Starting next month, workers will go through mandatory training on sexual orientation and gender identity,” reported WISH-TV. “The hospital also updated its non-discrimination and patient care policies to include language specific to sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.”

Earlier this month, Vaughn entered the hospital’s emergency room coughing up blood. Her gender was entered as male on hospital paperwork, but Vaughn carried an ID card that identified her as female. Hospital workers referred to her as a"he-she," "it," and a "transvestite,” and a doctor refused to treat her.

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Reader Comments
  • Name: Clairese Starr
    Date posted: 10/5/2010 1:19:23 PM
    Hometown: Washington

    Comment:

    Medical professionals have the right to refuse to treat a patient unless otherwise stated in their contract. For example, a nurse who has been raped, may refuse to treat someone who reminds her of her rapist. A doctor, who was robbed may refuse to treat a violent criminal. All hospitals do not require employees to treat all who come in the door. The right approach is to have more people receive facts about transgendered people. Do not get upset when an intake nurse lists you as a male. The nurse is required to enter the actual biological conditions that are measured or observed. Depending on the case, your medical data could be confused if you were listed as female, but all of your other data was male. There is plenty of room on intake forms to also state, M to F transsexual, too. Nobody needs to get fired. People who show up at a hospital dressed as the opposite gender should expect a range of reactions, just like they see in any other part of society. Attitudes are changing.

  • Name: Darlie
    Date posted: 8/26/2010 6:50:43 PM
    Hometown: LA

    Comment:

    When is the doctor being fired ?

  • Name: Karen Smith
    Date posted: 8/26/2010 3:38:55 PM
    Hometown: Eugene, OR

    Comment:

    I'm also a transwoman - and I agree, the treatment here was deplorable, and must never be repeated. I'd be out for blood - someone else's blood, not what I was coughing up - if someone did this to me. On the other hand, I think we need to ensure that Doctors are willing to treat emergencies always, but non-emergencies only when they are qualified. Spironolactone [a very common drug for transwomen] and Estradiol [Estrogen] both have side effects that aren't to be screwed around with by the uninformed. Care professionals shouldn't have the ability to pick and choose who they treat based on their opinion. But they certainly can pick and choose what they learn.

  • Name: Annah Hinman
    Date posted: 8/26/2010 1:37:19 PM
    Hometown: Lancaster, PA

    Comment:

    As a transgirl myself i find this deplorable. We don't dress as a girl for sh*t and giggles. Its how we were born. Its complicated, but nevertheless, NO hospital PERIOD should deny ANYONE treatment. I hope she sues the hell out of them. Enough for them to feel it and do more than just take an "awareness class"

  • Name: DOUG
    Date posted: 8/26/2010 1:06:14 PM
    Hometown: VB

    Comment:

    still no word on if anyone was fired.....denying someone treatment in an emergency room should be an offense that gets you fired!!! I hope she sues!

  • Name: CountryBoy
    Date posted: 8/26/2010 10:35:15 AM
    Hometown: MO

    Comment:

    I deplore the comments of the ER personnel; it just goes to show that wearing a white lab coat does not engender any class. What INFURIATES me is the doctor refusing her treatment! I'd sue the HELL out of him.

  • Name: JK
    Date posted: 8/26/2010 10:28:07 AM
    Hometown: nj

    Comment:

    "Her two daughters entered her gender as male on hospital paperwork," that is not what was reported in the past. The two a-holes behind the desk entered her as male after she told them she was female, not her daughters.

  • Name: Steve Hughes
    Date posted: 8/26/2010 9:14:16 AM
    Hometown: Pearland, TX

    Comment:

    Nice to see training has been implemented for the staff. My question is are the physicians going to have to attend? What sanctions, if any, were imposed on the Emergency Physician for refusing to treat her?



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