Location: Idaho

Hospital: St. Alphonsus

Allowed to see family or patient advocate?: no

Asked to sign DNR: yes

Asked if vaccinated: yes

Was the victim treated differently as a result of disclosing their vax status?: yes

How victim was treated differently after disclosing vax status:

I was asked by every nurse and the doctor in the emergency room WHY I was not vaccinated. I was then made to feel like it was my fault I was sick. The staff was rude and the doctor came in and said I was in full kidney failure and I would be admitted. I was then asked by every staff member at the hospital as well as the ambulance driver if I was vaccinated and then WHY I was not vaccinated. I was put in to a room at the hospital, no food and no water....I was given Musinex and Tylenol and hooked up to a saline IV. During my stay I was told that I could call to order meals but after the first day the hospital was not taking orders, I was to eat what was sent to me which most of the time was nothing. I was told by hospital staff that they didn't have enough employee's in the cafeteria due to covid. Every new shift the nurses would ask me WHY I was not vaccinated. The 2 attending doctors asked WHY as well. I felt discriminated against because I chose not to get vaccinated. I told them I had reactions to the flu vaccine that were severe and I never get that so I was afraid of the covid vaccine and it's possible side effects on me. I was never checked in on, I would push my button to call for help with breathing, bathroom, food, water and no one would come. I was put on an oxygen machine and as the oxygen dosage was increased, my nasal passages and throat would dry out horribly and several days into the pain I was told that the machine has the ability to be able have the air warmed. One night, the respiratory therapist was training someone and walked loudly into my room and said "these machines are so easy to work, you simply pull the tube" and with that he loudly and abruptly pulled the hose on the machine stopping my oxygen. I panicked and he didn't even acknowledge me there. It was a constant battle to keep on top of the water running out in the humidifier of the oxygen machine because without it the pain was intolerable. At one point I had pushed my call button and no one came for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes I had to disconnect my heart and oxygen meters to sound the alarms because no one was coming in and I couldn't breath. I was yelled at and told that they were too busy to come because of all the covid patients. Yet I saw them all sitting at the nurses desk. My husband and brothers had to call constantly because I was not being fed, I was not being taken care of with the oxygen. Another night my throat was so sore and dry I asked for some hot water and honey. The nurse looked up what the protocol was in the computer and told me that the pharmacy wasn't open until the morning and I would have to wait. I asked for the hot water and honey and was told they didn't have any honey. I was finally given a cup of hot water. I did get one nurse who was wonderful and very caring. That was after I was extubated. Prior to that, especially the travelling nurse, they were heartless. The overall demeanor of the majority of the staff was disgust towards me because I wasn't vaccinated. At one point the news station was outside doing a story on covid patients and 2 of the physical therapists were helping get me to a chair because I couldn't walk and one said to the other "this is what they should be showing to those who think the vaccine isn't important". At the time I didn't realize there was a news crew outside so the comment didn't make much sense.