Sheri Fink’s “The Deadly Choices at Memorial” depicts the fallout from Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center in Uptown New Orleans. Due to isolation, limited resources, and insufficient preparation for disaster on the government’s part, the hospital was forced to triage their patients, sorting them according to their medical conditions. The healthiest patients were given priority evacuation status, while the sickest patients were left at the bottom of the list. Fink’s narrative of the events during this catastrophe, explained in chronological order, sometimes abandoning chronology for topical arrangement, illustrate what may have led to some patients allegedly being euthanized by nurses and doctors. The piece focuses on Dr. Ann Pou’s involvement in the alleged acts, her indictment, and the discussion about triage medicine.
Though a very fair, well reported article, readers can determine Fink opposes Dr. Pou’s actions. Before exploring Dr. Pou’s involvement at Memorial Medical Center after Hurricane Katrina, Fink quotes Dr. Ewing Cook, who explained why he “hastened the demise” of a patient. “I gave her medicine so I could get rid of her faster… get the nurses off the floor.” Dr. Cook acknowledges consulting with Dr. Pou regarding prescriptions that would “hasten” the death of patients. Placing this, rather blunt, explanation of the situation before Dr. Pou’s side of the story (though much is expressed through her lawyers), makes the doctor’s actions look questionable. Not to mention, Fink spends a lot of time (deservedly) reporting why Emmett Everett, a nearly four hundred pound quadriplegic, “was given something for his dizziness” by Dr. Pou and ended up passing away shortly after.
Still, Fink doesn’t depict the doctor as an evil mastermind, but as a medical professional struggling under extreme conditions and little rest to provide care to patients and evacuate a hospital. At one point, Fink illustrates Dr. Pou sitting on a bench, exhausted with “less than an hour’s sleep.”
Most importantly, Fink acknowledges that it will never be known what Dr. Pou actually did or why, and that the arguments the doctor makes regarding emergency situation (triage) protocol are worth looking at. Fink writes, “This is particularly important as health officials are now weighing, with little public discussion and insufficient scientific evidence, protocols for making the kind of agonizing decisions that will, no doubt, arise again.”
All things considered, Fink sympathizes with Dr. Pou’s predicament but believes the doctor went too far. But the writer can only report the information, much of which as Fink indicates, we will never know. Her beliefs are merely speculatory, and she does a good job masking them.
Fink Chooses Sides But Acknowledges Issues
Sheri Fink’s “The Deadly Choices at Memorial” depicts the fallout from Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center in Uptown New Orleans. Due to isolation, limited resources, and insufficient preparation for disaster on the government’s part, the hospital was forced to triage their patients, sorting them according to their medical conditions. The healthiest patients were given priority evacuation status, while the sickest patients were left at the bottom of the list. Fink’s narrative of the events during this catastrophe, explained in chronological order, sometimes abandoning chronology for topical arrangement, illustrate what may have led to some patients allegedly being euthanized by nurses and doctors. The piece focuses on Dr. Ann Pou’s involvement in the alleged acts, her indictment, and the discussion about triage medicine.
Though a very fair, well reported article, readers can determine Fink opposes Dr. Pou’s actions. Before exploring Dr. Pou’s involvement at Memorial Medical Center after Hurricane Katrina, Fink quotes Dr. Ewing Cook, who explained why he “hastened the demise” of a patient. “I gave her medicine so I could get rid of her faster… get the nurses off the floor.” Dr. Cook acknowledges consulting with Dr. Pou regarding prescriptions that would “hasten” the death of patients. Placing this, rather blunt, explanation of the situation before Dr. Pou’s side of the story (though much is expressed through her lawyers), makes the doctor’s actions look questionable. Not to mention, Fink spends a lot of time (deservedly) reporting why Emmett Everett, a nearly four hundred pound quadriplegic, “was given something for his dizziness” by Dr. Pou and ended up passing away shortly after.
Still, Fink doesn’t depict the doctor as an evil mastermind, but as a medical professional struggling under extreme conditions and little rest to provide care to patients and evacuate a hospital. At one point, Fink illustrates Dr. Pou sitting on a bench, exhausted with “less than an hour’s sleep.”
Most importantly, Fink acknowledges that it will never be known what Dr. Pou actually did or why, and that the arguments the doctor makes regarding emergency situation (triage) protocol are worth looking at. Fink writes, “This is particularly important as health officials are now weighing, with little public discussion and insufficient scientific evidence, protocols for making the kind of agonizing decisions that will, no doubt, arise again.”
All things considered, Fink sympathizes with Dr. Pou’s predicament but believes the doctor went too far. But the writer can only report the information, much of which as Fink indicates, we will never know. Her beliefs are merely speculatory, and she does a good job masking them.
About Thomas Seubert
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