Some Good News On The Andrea Clark Front

by John Hawkins | April 27, 2006 6:10 pm

The attention the Andrea Clark case has gotten has finally started to pay some dividends. In other words, give yourself a pat on the back, folks, because your phone calls may have saved a woman’s life. First off, from Hyscience[1]:

“The family learned of a facility in Illinois that is willing to accept Andrea and offer her the opportunity to live, an expensive move that would require Andrea to be far removed from her family.

However, placing corporate greed ahead of all patient interests and the interests and wishes of the family, St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital has just notified the family that they are willing to pay the almost $17,000 to move Andrea to Illinois if they will immediately – that’s TODAY, move Andrea out of St. Lukes to the Illinois facility. If the family waits until tomorrow to decide, St. Lukes will only pay half. And if the family can’t make a decision by tomorrow, the hospital may consider to pay absolutely nothing. In other words, the hospital is attempting to force Andrea out of the hospital in order to stop the financial drain of the cost of her care.”

Here’s more from Melanie Childers, Andrea’s sister, via the Lone Star Times[2]

“Yes, it’s true. We don’t want Andrea to be moved so far away from her family in Texas, but we are so frightened that another Texas hospital will start the futility process on her again, I think we have no other choice. So, here we are, in Texas, having to move our sister to a hospital across the country. One way or another, I guess, this will break our family. What a horrible decision to have to make.”

WorldNetDaily is also on the case[3]:

The attorney believes finding a new doctor is better for the patient than enduring the “mad scramble” to find a different facility – plus the hospital normally charges the patient for the move.

Ward said she and the family are exploring both options at this time.

Lanore Dixon, one of four sisters of Clark who live in Texas, has been protesting outside St. Luke’s.

Dixon said there’s a possibility a long-term acute-care facility in Chicago would agree to take Clark – “but we don’t have any family there,” Dixon told WND, “and we think it’s terrible that somebody in her shape should have to be in a place without any family.”

Mentioning the new-doctor option, Dixon said she wasn’t totally comfortable with that since she’s “lost some confidence” in St. Luke’s Hospital.

“It would be ideal if we could find another hospital in Texas that would take Andrea,” Dixon said.

Stressing that she didn’t want to “demonize” anyone, Dixon commented: “The doctors at this hospital are trained to think a certain way, and they have a different perspective on life than I do. They don’t share the perspective that the time that you go is between you and God.”

I also talked to Melanie Childers again tonight. First of all, she said the “right wing people” are responsible for the deal St. Luke’s is offering and the Illinois facility that agreed to take her sister. For that, she’s grateful.

On the one hand, she’s very frustrated by the situation. Andrea said,

“Even a condemned man gets 12 jurors and if he’s found guilty, he gets 10 years of appeals.”

But, her sister was given less than 10 days. In addition to that, Andrea no longer trusts St. Luke’s Hospital to look after her sister’s welfare and she’s worried that if Andrea were to end up in another Texas hospital, she might be declared medically futile again. So, the ideal situation would be to get her into a hospital in a nearby state, so that her family would have easy access to her. Illinois is a long way from Houston and the idea of having her sister in intensive care, far away from her home and family, is naturally very upsetting, but unfortunately, it may be the only option they really have.

Melanie told me the family is going to be discussing St. Luke’s offer to pay for the transportation to the Illinois facility tonight and if they accept it, she believes that Andrea will be moved tomorrow.

That’s where the story is at right now. As I learn more details, I’ll provide them for you.

Also see,

Time Is Running Out For Andrea Clark[4]
An Andrea Clarke Update[5]
The Sad Case Of Andrea Clarke[6]

Endnotes:
  1. Hyscience: http://www.hyscience.com/archives/2006/04/the_andrea_clar.php
  2. Lone Star Times: http://lonestartimes.com/2006/04/27/breaking-news-in-the-andrea-clark-case/
  3. on the case: http://lonestartimes.com/2006/04/27/breaking-news-in-the-andrea-clark-case/
  4. Time Is Running Out For Andrea Clark: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/archives/week_2006_04_23.PHP#005614
  5. An Andrea Clarke Update: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/archives/week_2006_04_23.PHP#005606
  6. The Sad Case Of Andrea Clarke: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/archives/week_2006_04_23.PHP#005600

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