The passage adapted from, "The Woman Who Died in the Waiting Room", by Jeneen Interlandi explains how a 49-year old woman(Esmin Green) died in just 20 minutes later in the largest psychiatric hospital, after the nurse checked on her in 40 minutes. It begins with Esmin Green, twisting between two chairs under a security camera for twenty minutes, with two security guards not even bothering to help her. Poor patients with psychiatric problems have less medical care in public hospitals. Instead of locking the mentally ill away to uncaring institutions, the mentally ill were offered a place in society, out of thought. I agree with the statement that, "They are the poor, the uninsured and the undocumented."
There are times when many patients are ignored, due to health insurance, wealth of class, or both. I find the death of Esmin Green disturbing. It happens almost all of the time. You sign in, a nurse makes you wait in the emergency room and you wait nearly forever in the waiting room untill you are half dead, whether mental or not. One time, I was rushed to the emergency room from rash.. I was in fifth grade at P.S 163 Alfred E. Smith, in the Upper West Side. I was ten years old at the time. The rash began after eating a fish sandwich. I did not realize the condition untill after recess, when my neck was very ichy and I went to the bathroom, realizing at the mirror that my neck was swollen and bumpy. I remember that I had to be dismissed early from LEAP afterschool program, because the condition of the rash worsened. My parents drove me to Mt. Sinai hospital, in the Upper East Side. My mother checked me in at nine o' clock at night. A nurse did not come in untill three o' clock in the morning. At that time, the rash nearly spread my entire body. The only part that the rash did not spread was my face. What the doctor gave me was Benadrill, a medicine used for allergic reactions, something that can be buyed at the pharmacy in five minutes. My parents were angry about this, because what they waited six hours for was something in which my parents would of buyed for me at the pharmacy, and I would be cured instantly. This is why I find the death of Esmin Green disturbing, because why have hospitals, if you would not be treated the same way as the wealthy would? It is wrong and unfair. My situation is not a mental sickness, but I can understand how it feels like compared to Esmin Green.
People who are not wealthy would have to go through the waiting room in hospitals. Not only that, at times, for those who may not have health care insurance, it would be more difficult for them to be treated. For hospitals in America, it's, no insurance, no good treatment. Even for the mentally ill and poor, it's bad how treatment is judged by how much money you have in your account. Not only is it bad, but very sad that you cannot depend on public hospials in America.
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