*The Indiana University Health system where Dr. Susan Moore allegedly received subpar treatment has released a statement regarding her death.
We previously reported…Dr. Moore, 54, a physician in Indianapolis, died last Sunday from COVID-19 after saying she was mistreated by medical professionals because of her race.
Moore been diagnosed with COVID-19, hospitalized, and treated with the drug remdesivir, but a week after her diagnosis, her condition had worsened. In a video she posted to Facebook on December 4, Moore noted having difficulty breathing and claimed she was being neglected at Indiana University North Hospital. Her doctor, she said, refused her request for pain medication and advised her to “go home,” PEOPLE reports.
READ MORE: Black Doctor Dies from COVID After Begging for Treatment at ‘Racist’ Indiana Hospital [VIDEO]
The hospital issued a statement through President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis M. Murphy, who explained that Moore was “intimidating.”
“It hurt me personally to see a patient reach out via social media because they felt their care was inadequate and their personal needs were not being heard,” the statement read. “I also saw several human perspectives in the story she told – that of physicians who were trying to manage the care of a complex patient in the midst of a pandemic crisis where the medical evidence on specific treatments continues to be debated in medical journals and in the lay press. And the perspective of a nursing team trying to manage a set of critically ill patients in need of care who may have been intimidated by a knowledgeable patient who was using social media to voice her concerns and critique the care they were delivering. All of these perspectives comprise a complex picture. At the end of the day, I am left with the image of a distressed patient who was a member of our own profession—one we all hold dear and that exists to help serve and better the lives of others. These factors make this loss doubly distressing.”
According to online sleuths, Moore received poor care from physician Eric Bannec, M.D., before she switched hospitals for better treatment. As reported by MadameNoire, one user on Twitter shared screenshots of reviews left for that doctor.
“Hello! I don’t think I could find a doctor that is more unprofessional and rude as Dr. Bannec is,” said the commenter in 2015. “He spent all of 20 seconds with me during my appointment today….” Another in 2019 wrote, “He may know a lot about medicine, but he shows little understanding of or compassion for the human beings who become his unwitting patients.”
Dr. Susan Moore died today from COVID, but HOW she died is unacceptable. She posted a video to Facebook from an Indiana hospital days before her death about mistreatment. “This is how black people get killed when you send them home and they don’t know how to fight for themselves” https://t.co/iSF8rs7qmI pic.twitter.com/3a8qE6DhN3
— Cleavon MD (@Cleavon_MD) December 22, 2020
Murphy said he is “confident” in the team that provided Moore’s care.
“I do not believe that we failed the technical aspects of the delivery of Dr. Moore’s care. I am concerned, however, that we may not have shown the level of compassion and respect we strive for in understanding what matters most to patients,” he said. “I am worried that our care team did not have the time due to the burden of this pandemic to hear and understand patient concerns and questions.”
“There is still much that we need to learn through internal review,” Murphy added. “Additionally, I am asking for an external review of this case. We will have a diverse panel of healthcare and diversity experts conduct a thorough medical review of Dr. Moore’s concerns to address any potential treatment bias. The construct of this review is to understand how we improve on not only the technical aspects of care, but also the more humanistic elements of the patient experience. The external review also can illuminate ways that we as a system can ensure we live up to our commitment to the equitable treatment of all patients.”
Murphy ends the press release saying, “Dr. Moore’s words and image will stay with me every day and fuel my motivation to ensure that this organization becomes truly equitable in all dimensions. I hope it serves as a collective call to action.”
Read the full statement here.
A GoFund Me has been launched for Dr. Moore’s son and parents, as she was their sole provider.
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
