With temperatures in the mid-Atlantic hitting uncomfortable lows, Baltimore’s struggles with the weather have been thoroughly documented, and while the world was shocked to see students attending classes in coats, that seems minor when compared to the accusations against this Baltimore hospital.
According to the city’s CBS affiliate, the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) launched an investigation Wednesday (Jan. 10) after several videos of staffers leaving a patient on the side of the road in chilling temperatures went viral.
The videos first surfaced via Baltimore resident Imamu Baraka’s Facebook account. In the series of clips, Baraka documents how four security guards left a patient – dressed only in a hospital gown – on the hospital’s footpath in 30-40 degree weather.
This astonishing neglect led Baraka to confront to the guards asking them if they “are just going to leave” the underdressed woman outside before captioning his eventual post with “is this what healthcare in Baltimore City has come to?”
Baraka then approaches the patient who appears to suffer from a head wound. “Are you okay,” he asked. “Are you able to speak?” to which the woman seems to respond “Please help me,” before another clip shows paramedics taking her back in the hospital after Baraka called the police.
As a result of the criticism received, the University of Maryland Medical System released a response to Baraka’s post stating that they too are “shocked” and “disappointed” by the actions of their employees, vowing that this incident is an outlier and will be treated with care as they investigate.
“We clearly failed to fulfill our mission with this patient,” the statement reads. “We are taking this matter very seriously, conducting a thorough review, and are evaluating the appropriate response, including the possibility of personnel action.”