American Nurses Apologise For Refusing Woman to See Her Dying Partner

November 24, 2009

 

Several Jackson Memorial Hospital nurses have personally apologised to a woman, for not allowing her in to be with her partner next to her deathbed.

The Miami hospital nurses have come out to apologise to Janice Langbehn being refused access to her partner, Lisa Pond, by a local social worker, in the hours leading up to her death.

Martha Baker, a nurse and the president of a union representing 5000 health care workers at the Jackson Memorial hospital, apologised to Langbehn, a speaker at meeting at the Unity on the Bay church, and said: "We certainly are sorry for the pain and suffering she felt,"

The union’s gay Lavender Caucus, lead by Noberta Molina, reiterated the union’s stance and said: "I apologize; I can't imagine what you went through."

Langbehn, welcomed the gesture by the 60 nurses who attended, it said she still wants the hospital’s management to apologise for what she called the anti gay stance held by the social worker and hospital practices, which hindered her from being with her partner the day she passed away.

Langbehn said: It's my duty to speak out, that this should never happen to another family of ours,"

Langbehn unsuccessfully sued the hospital, with the court determining that the hospital did not have any legal obligation to anyone to allow visitation to a patient.

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