-Complaint-
Nov 8th 2017
On November 5, 2017 I was brought to the LACGH Emergency by ambulance and was placed in a room. I would like to share my experience.
I have used this Emergency Service a few times before and never had any previous issues. Thank you.

On Nov. 5th, 2017 I had to call 911 because I was experiencing an on-going acute anxiety attack. I was brought to your hospital Emergency facility to see a Doctor for help. The ambulance medics (2 gentlemen) took really good care of me.
I was then left to the hospital employees to receive help.

A clerk came to see me shortly after being left in the room. She started to ask me questions to confirm my address and personal information to admit me to the Emergency. At this time, I was in an extreme recurrent panic mode
and this line of questioning ultimately heightened my anxiety so I asked her to “leave the room” 2 or 3 times. It was clear she was not happy with me and to have been dismissed. This gave me the impression that she was not briefed by anyone regarding my heightened anxiety levels which resulted in amplifying my response and overall anxiety.

I didn’t know it at this point, but my friend who had helped get the ambulance had arrived at the Emergency on his own as my support. Meanwhile, a blond nurse with a pony tail then entered my room and said your partner is here.
I replied to her in astonishment “My Partner?” and repeated it 3 times. I was shocked by this statement for several reasons, so I asked her to get out of the room, again 3 times. It was clear to me that either she or another staff member there had made an assumption that I was both homosexual and that my friend was my partner or there was something written in files indicating this.

I would like to be clear that I have never mentioned having a partner, and nor have I ever stated my sexual orientation to anyone at the hospital. I have always declared myself as a single person and I do not understand how this can be mistaken. I feel as though the nurse was testing me, even investigating me for other purposes. This is my main issue with my visit to the Emergency because I feel my character was defamed.

After that brief interaction, I was panicked to the point where I started to scream my friend’s name because I felt I needed help. My friend who was at the front reception heard me calling and later I found out that was when he was
allowed into the Emergency. He came into my room and saw me hanging on the edge of my bed squirming, and in a very high state of anxiety because of the statements made by the nurse.

My friend later told me that when he went to ask the nurses at the nursing station to see if they were preparing the medications ordered by the Doctor that the same nurse said that we can’t do anything until we have staff to help because she thought it was an unsafe situation. Fortunately another nurse said that she was in the middle of preparing the medications so my friend came back to the room to tell me the Meds were on the way.

The personal information that I have always provided to the hospital upon registering is that I am single and I would like to ensure that I am recognized as such. The assumptions, errors, and/or blatant investigation conducted
by hospital staff has been a traumatic experience for me. Not only was I in a fragile state of anxiety, but I felt I was being attacked.

For this reason, I am requesting the following:

1. the names of all the hospital staff who came into my room that day (nurses, clerk, doctors, etc.).

2. a copy of the video that was recorded in my room.

3. a copy of any information that the nurse may have seen or heard that would lead her to conclude I had a partner, including a copy of any hospital records indicating me having a partner

The purpose for these requests is to ensure that my records are representing me correctly.

This event has caused undue stress to an already stressful state of mind.

*Doctors involved : Stephen White and Tatiana Viaznikova

*EMS employees : Ian and Chris