Thread: Immigrants lose lawsuit against Atlanta Hospital

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/healt ... grady.html

December 16, 2009
Immigrants Lose Lawsuit Against Atlanta Hospital
By KEVIN SACK
ATLANTA — Efforts to force the public hospital here to continue providing free dialysis treatment to a group of immigrants, most of them illegal, suffered a setback on Tuesday when a judge dismissed a lawsuit challenging the recent closing of the hospital’s outpatient renal clinic.

A lawyer for the roughly 50 patients said he would appeal. But the ruling for Grady Memorial Hospital brings the patients closer to a Jan. 3 deadline for finding new sources of the life-sustaining dialysis treatment.

When the struggling hospital closed the clinic for fiscal reasons in early October, it agreed to pay for three months of dialysis for the patients at private clinics, either in the United States or in their home countries. That reprieve has nearly expired, and most of the patients have not taken steps to seek treatment elsewhere.

A hospital spokesman disclosed Tuesday that three of the patients had died since the clinic’s closing, two of them in Mexico and one in Atlanta. None of the deaths, he said, appeared related to inadequate access to dialysis.

“Based on the best information that we have, the patients’ deaths were not caused by a lack of dialysis care but by other health issues,â€

That reprieve has nearly expired, and most of the patients have not taken steps to seek treatment elsewhere.

And why have they taken no steps other than to sue? Because they are oh so positive WE owe THEM. I have no pity for these people, if you won't do for yourself why do you think I should?

Gee do ya think they would take care of us in Mexico if it was reversed..not on our life.....yet they expect it here..my God these people are unbelievable....

Kathyet

Go back to Mexico for your free care.
Quit using us.

An expensive Atlanta lawyer costs more than the dialysis care of all those involved for a year. It continues to trouble me that these so-called pro-amesty people NEVER want to help these people in their own countries, which would be so much cheaper.

For instance, it costs only $118 for dialysis in Mexico. Yet illegal aliens manage to come up with thousands for coyotes to bring them here.

It defies all logic.

Grady Hospital not only serves the poor of Atlanta, but it is the premiere Southeastern region trauma center and also burn center. It is very expensive to operate and the people in metro Atlanta who shoulder these costs have increased property taxes, reduced services including fire and police. And they were forced to pay to defend this frivolous lawsuit. There should be a loser pays provision.