A Missouri woman was devasted after her husband died in the hospital parking lot after three separate attempts to seek medical attention for his recurring chest pain.
Sadie Bell twice took her husband David Alexander Bell to the Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Peters, Missouri for concerning health issues, but she said the hospital refused to admit him and sent him home with a prescription for Ibuprofen.
Bell returned to work at Central County Fire—where he was the board director.
But when he experienced pain for a third time, his colleagues took him to the same hospital.
Sadie was alarmed when she discovered David was taken to the same hospital that had previously refused to admit him twice.
She told KMOV4:
"I called his firemen, because one of his firemen took him, I said, 'Which hospital did you take him to?' he said, 'I went on and took him back to Barnes-Jewish because I know that's where you all had been going'."
"I said, 'Oh, I just wish you wouldn't have took him there'. He said, 'Why not?' and I said, 'Every time that we have taken him, all they did was give him Ibuprofen and sent him home, and I'm really thinking they missing something'."
When Sadie arrived at the hospital and saw her husband outside and in a wheelchair, she pleaded with hospital staff to run tests. But they again refused to admit him.
The couple tried going to another hospital, but it was too late.
David died in the parking lot.
You can watch the news report here.
Sadie recalled the last words her husband spoke before taking his final breath.
"We got halfway to the car and he said, 'Oh Sadie.' And I said, 'Baby what's wrong?'
Now, the devastated family is asking for an investigation so another family would not have to experience a similar traumatic experience.
"I don't know what they thought and I just don't understand why they wouldn't help him," Sadie told KMOV4 through tears.
"I don't want any family to feel what we're feeling right now."
"I felt like what he was going through was urgent and I thought that's what emergency rooms are for."
The news outlet said—according to National medical reports—African Americans have higher mortality rates because they don't receive the same level of medical care as their White counterparts.
American Medical Association (AMA) statistics showed the African American mortality rate is 24% higher than White Americans.
One of the main contributing factors pointed out by AMA was "doctors not addressing pain levels from Black patients."
People were outraged over the handling of a situation that could have been prevented.
Rampant racism was even discovered in decision-making software used by hospitals that systematically discriminated against Black patients.
An article in Nature said a October 2019 study published in Science found that a healthcare algorithm widely used in U.S. hospitals was less likely to refer Black patients than White patients with the same health issues to programs meant to improve complex medical conditions.
While Barnes-Jewish Hospital has not responded with details of David's case due to privacy laws, the hospital did issue the following statement:
"Our thoughts are with the family after this loss, as well as with the entire Central County Fire & Rescue team."
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