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manicmonday122 t1_jaoe8qw wrote

Reply to comment by symbolic_love in Rhode Island woman dies in police custody in Tennessee by Meatball_Grinder

I’m definitely not siding with the cops but what is a social worker going to do? Tell the physician he had to see a patient he just discharged. The cop in the video said the hospital wouldn’t take her back.

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symbolic_love t1_japt5b7 wrote

Yes I imagine a social worker would likely advocate for the patient’s care in this case, and yes I believe that would have made a difference. Hospitals want to avoid lawsuits, and it is easier to say “no” to a lone vulnerable individual than it is to say “no” to a trained professional who knows the details of the relevant regulations.

Edit: In addition social workers are skilled at assessing individual’s needs, and in this case may have gotten a more clear picture of what was going on with the woman - such as by offering to call a family member who could have provided additional health information.

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manicmonday122 t1_jaqjc70 wrote

Of course, they want to avoid lawsuits, but Emtala is a very costly one. The issue for the cops or social worker is the hospital just medically cleared her and said they wouldn't take her back. I don't know if there was another hospital in the city but that leaves very few options for the social worker or cops!

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