Chapter 5

I guessed that what had happened to me likely happened to other patients. Believing that it was my obligation to bring it to the attention of someone who would get something done about it I turned to the "news" media. Not I had no illusions about the probable results but I tried. I contacted every newspaper and television station in the state of Arkansas for which I could find an email address. I got exactly one reply from a small newspaper in a small town. So much for that. I reported it to a number of organizations claiming to investigate such things and received no response.

I did decide to report the doctor and nusing staff and pharmacy director to the state authorities. No reply from the nursing board and none from the pharmacy board. The medical board apparently didn't bother to read my complaint or they just decided that since the doctor is in the Big Club (as are they) and sent me the reply I was expecting. I only did it to document their depraved indifference to human lives that aren't in the Big Club.

The hospital recently closed after seven years of operation. During this time there were at least 155 patient deaths - in a facility that was not supposed to have any at-risk patients. During almost the entire time the doctor who almost did me in was the only doctor. The Arkansas medical board refused to take any action and the doctor who has over a hundred and fifty seriously questionable deaths on his record is still practicing. If practice makes perfect he may run up an even bigger body count at this next job. Appendix B is an analysis of the situation.

I wrote to the governor and attorney general and got a similar result from the attorney general and none from the governor until I asked a family friend who is in the Arkansas legislature to inquire as to whether she had seen my letter. Shortly after that I received an acknowledgement and that has been it so far. My health has been declining (it is not almost five years since the experience began) and am not likely to be around much longer. Following are my communications thus far. The letters to the attorney general and governor are at the end.