Dominican Hospital's (mis)treatment of (disabled) homeless people

April 1, 2020

Dear addressed parties:

Medical discrimination against (disabled) homeless people is a story of international interest; even more so because of the Covid-19 Pandemic. I ask the state/local government, the media and nonprofit advocacy groups to address this issue.

The copied email below is a written contract. I have advocated for (disabled) victims of Dignity Health's Dominican Hospital. I've filed state and federal complaints against Dominican Hospital. I've been mistreated by Dominican Hospital (when I was homeless). The County of Santa Cruz has discriminated against most of the local (disabled) homeless community. Local homeless people rarely go to the Dominican Emergency Room because they've been mistreated by them before.

I ask the homeless community to report (non)compliance with the media statement from Ms. Henry.

Sincerely yours,
John E. Colby, Ph.D.

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Henry, Claire - DSC
Date: Tue, Mar 31, 2020 at 9:58 AM
Subject: RE: Dignity Health planned treatment of disabled homeless COVID-19 victims?
Hi John,
Thanks again for reaching out about this. Dignity Health Dominican Hospital believes that all people deserve medical care, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or circumstances. A centerpiece of our ongoing mission is to serve and advocate for our sisters and brothers who are poor and disenfranchised. As Santa Cruz County’s community safety net hospital, Dominican provides the same high-quality care to everyone who walks through our doors, no matter their ability to pay. It goes without saying that these practices include our treatment of those experiencing homelessness with disabilities.

We are working closely with the Santa Cruz County Department of Public Health to ensure that patients experiencing homelessness who require self-quarantining are discharged to a safe space for further rest and recovery. The County is formalizing agreements with local hotels to house patients experiencing homelessness who are in need of additional medical respite after they leave the hospital.

Wishing you health and safety,
Claire


__________________________________________
Claire Henry
Communications Manager
Marketing & Communications

Dignity Health
Bay Area Service Area
Dominican Hospital
Saint Francis Memorial Hospital
St. Mary’s Medical Center
Sequoia Hospital

1555 Soquel Drive
Santa Cruz, CA 95065
831.462.7864 (O)
831.331.9056 (M)

Claire.Henry [at] DignityHealth.org

From: Henry, Claire - DSC
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2020 6:17 PM
To: 'John Colby'
Subject: RE: Dignity Health planned treatment of disabled homeless COVID-19 victims?

Hi John,
Thank you for reaching out. I am working on getting you a detailed answer and will circle back soon.

All the best,
Claire


__________________________________________
Claire Henry
Communications Manager
Marketing & Communications

Dignity Health
Bay Area Service Area
Dominican Hospital
Saint Francis Memorial Hospital
St. Mary’s Medical Center
Sequoia Hospital

1555 Soquel Drive
Santa Cruz, CA 95065
831.462.7864 (O)
831.331.9056 (M)

Claire.Henry [at] DignityHealth.org

Dignityhealth.org made the following annotations
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March 23, 2020

Claire Henry
Communications Manager
Press Center, Dignity Health
831.331.9056

via facsimile to: 12022256791 [at] nextivafax.com — Congressman Jimmy Panetta
via facsimile to: 19163235341 [at] nextivafax.com — California AG Xavier Becerra
via facsimile to: 19165583160 [at] nextivafax.com — California Governor Gavin Newsom

via facsimile to: 12027830857 [at] nextivafax.com — Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
via facsimile to: 14152551478 [at] nextivafax.com — Abdi Soltani, Executive Director, ACLU of Northern California
via facsimile to: 12126146499 [at] nextivafax.com — Center for Constitutional Rights; Darius Charney; Katherine Gallagher, Chayana Khadidal; Staff Attorneys
via facsimile to: 12024570059 [at] nextivafax.com — Government Accountability Project, Intake

via facsimile to: 12022283954 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein
via facsimile to: 12022242499 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
via facsimile to: 12022283027 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer
via facsimile to: 12022280400 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senate Minority Assistant Dick Durbin
via facsimile to: 12022246020 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Charles Grassley
via facsimile to: 12022243479 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy
via facsimile to: 12022286965 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Ron Johnson
via facsimile to: 12022283398 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander
via facsimile to: 12022240238 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Patty Murray
via facsimile to: 12022282717 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
via facsimile to: 12022247387 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Gary Peters
via facsimile to: 12022281015 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator James Lankford
via facsimile to: 12022249075 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Rob Portman
via facsimile to: 12022282190 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Tom Carper
via facsimile to: 12022281375 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Mike Crapo
via facsimile to: 12022286321 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown
via facsimile to: 12022285429 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator John Thune
via facsimile to: 12022243808 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham
via facsimile to: 12022286362 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse
via facsimile to: 12022282186 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar
via facsimile to: 12022283075 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Christopher Coons
via facsimile to: 12022249673 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal
via facsimile to: 12022245301 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator LIsa Murkowski
via facsimile to: 12022243514 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Pat Roberts
via facsimile to: 12022242693 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Susan Collins
via facsimile to: 12022285143 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Tim Scott
via facsimile to: 12022280776 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders
via facsimile to: 12022280604 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Robert Casey
via facsimile to: 12022249787 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin
via facsimile to: 12022249750 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senator Christopher Murphy
via facsimile to: U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
via facsimile to: U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary
via facsimile to: U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
via facsimile to: 12022249516 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Majority Office
via facsimile to: 12022249102 [at] nextivafax.com — U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Minority Office

via facsimile to: 12022255898 [at] nextivafax.com — Congressman Bernie Thompson
via facsimile to: 12022253317 [at] nextivafax.com — Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee
via facsimile to: 12022255976 [at] nextivafax.com — Congressman Jim Langevin
via facsimile to: 12022251988 [at] nextivafax.com — Congressman Cedric Richmond
via facsimile to: 12022254160 [at] nextivafax.com — Congressman Donald M. Payne
via facsimile to: 12022255758 [at] nextivafax.com — Congresswoman Kathleen Rice
via facsimile to: 12022259599 [at] nextivafax.com — Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small
via facsimile to: 12022254403 [at] nextivafax.com — Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver, II
via facsimile to: 12022252947 [at] nextivafax.com — Congressman Al Green
via facsimile to: 12022260112 [at] nextivafax.com — Congresswoman Yvette D. Clark
via facsimile to: 12022256025 [at] nextivafax.com — Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman
Dear Ms. Henry:

I am a postdoctoral advocate-researcher and independent journalist who (micro)blogs about my advocacy. I advocate primarily for disabled homeless people. Several times in the last five years I have advocated for Dignity Health clients. I have had problems with patient dumping and denial of service.

Relevant:

https://www.vox.com/2020/3/18/21183812/covid-19-coronavirus-homeless

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-03-19/coronavirus-outbreak-homeless-hospital-shelter

https://laist.com/latest/post/20200321/coronavirus-newsom-news-conference

I haven't seen any strategies on how to treat disabled homeless people with COVID-19. Neither the state nor local government seems to have protocols about the medical treatment of disabled homeless people infected with COVID-19.

Subsequently I ask the following questions:

1. Will Dignity Health hospitals, like Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, treat disabled homeless people suffering from COVID-19?
What agreements have been reached between Dignity Health and the local/state/federal government about handling COVID-19 in disabled homeless people?

2. What is the present protocol for Dignity Health hospitals to treat disabled homeless people who are potentially infected with COVID-19?

3. What measures will be taken to ensure disabled homeless people are not discriminated against in their treatment for COVID-19 at Dignity Health facilities?

Thank you for answering my questions. Those I advocate for and the carbon copied parties I research issues for will appreciate your publicizing how Dignity Health will address these issues.

Sincerely yours,
John E. Colby, Ph.D.