Patient In Gown Dumped At Bus Stop, Hospital Apologizes

BALTIMORE, MD — The University of Maryland Medical Center has issued an apology after a man posted Facebook video showing workers discharging a hospital gown-clad woman on the streets of Baltimore. Health officials said the "unfortunate event" has prompted a review of the case.

The video was posted by Imamu Baraka, who described himself as a psychotherapist studying health care administration. In it, a woman who appeared disoriented and in distress was left at a bus stop at night wearing a gown that was not secured, alongside two plastic bags containing her belongings.

When Baraka asked to speak to a supervisor, one of the four workers who escorted the woman from the hospital replied that he in fact was the supervisor.

"Is this what healthcare in Baltimore City has come to?" Baraka said with his post on Facebook.

Later, Baraka captured a second video that showed an ambulance taking the woman from the bus stop. He called upon those providing service to do better.

According to CBS, the practice known as "patient dumping" is not limited to Baltimore, and 60 Minutes showed it happening in Los Angeles in 2007. In that expose, Kaiser Permanente issued an apology similar to the University of Maryland after it was connected to the practice of leaving homeless people on the street, in one case with a gown and a diaper.

The University of Maryland Medical Center said that it was reviewing this week's case, including the staff involved.

"We are taking this matter very seriously, conducting a thorough review, and are evaluating the appropriate response, including the possibility of personnel action," the University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus posted Wednesday, Jan. 10, on Facebook.

"We share the shock and disappointment of many who have viewed the video showing the discharge of a patient from the Emergency Department of UMMC Midtown the night of January 9," officials said. "This unfortunate event is not representative of our patient-centered mission."

When he posted the video, Baraka quoted the health care system's vision on Facebook.

"I just witnessed this with my own eyes. I had no choice but to give this young lady a voice in this moment. University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus (UMMC) as a Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA) student -- may I remind you of the importance of the VISION of your MEDICAL CENTER: 'UMMC will be known for providing high value and compassionate care, improving health in Maryland and beyond, educating future health care leaders and discovering innovative ways to advance medicine worldwide.'

"You can do better," Baraka said on his post with the video. "You must do better."

Image via Shutterstock. Embedded Facebook video via Imamu Baraka.