Brieonni J.
1/5
TERRIBLE experience as a visitor. I have been visiting this hospital from 9/22/24 to 9/25/24 and today, 9/25/24, I was racially profiled by one of the psychiatric nurses (Kim K/B at 5 Bath) . Before allowing me into the unit, I was pulled aside with my partner and I, the only black visitor, was accused of purposefully sneaking in "contraband" the day before, 9/24, to the patient. She even pointed out that I said I brought in nothing but the charger was brought in, implying that I lied and purposefully snuck it in. The contraband being a laptop charger. Why would I want the patient that I had been visiting everyday to kill herself? I also had no knowledge of what or what isn't allowed in the units because I've never been told and there isn't a list anywhere... so to accuse me of "sneaking in" and lying about something that I didn't even know I should sneak in was just absurd. This "contraband", I brought it on the first day I visited the patient, 9/22/24, with clothes and wasn't even in a bag; it was openly in my arms and no nurse checked me. The patient I was visiting had the charger cord with them for 9/22-9/25 and had even changed rooms; this was a complete irresponsibility and negligence of the nurses to have not seen a large charger cord ONCE while in the room or moving her belongings. The patient also uses the laptop for hours everyday, how would the battery life sustain itself over the course of DAYS? The irresponsibility of the nurses is even more apparent that they chose a black visitor to scapegoat instead of doing their jobs. I even explained to the RN, Kim K/B that what she was accusing me of wasn't true, I brought the laptop and charger on 9/22/24, not yesterday, and I didn't "sneak" anything in, I brought it in my hands without a bag. Kim K/B ignored what I said and took my purse, still sticking to the accusation. I didn't want to waste the hour of visitor time I get with the patient, so my partner and I told the nurses of the racial profiling and instead of apologizing, Kim escalated and continued to be condescending and minimize her behavior. Saying "I'm sorry IF you FELT like I did that..." and tried to say it was because I had a purse, not because I was black. My partner pointed out that they easily could've snuck it in their huge coat or pockets and she didn't accuse them at all, only me. She had no response to that, just continued to repeat basically I was guilty for being Black with a purse. I filed a report on her after. Later the same day, my partner and I brought food for the patient and another patient after visiting hours. The nurses denied and lied saying that I can't drop anything off after visiting hours (I HAVE dropped off things after visiting hours before). While my partner went to talk to a manager, I called the psychiatric ward. I called and the nurse (at 6:28pm, Nurse Alexa) was friendly, I told her I was dropping food off and she was very receptive to this. Once she asked me who it was for, she immediately said No. I asked her why and she kept changing the reason. "There's a problem with the unit. You have to ask the charge nurse." And I continued to ask what problem was going on because I was fearing the safety of the patient and why couldn't the food be left there until the patient is ready? She rudely interrupted me saying, "No. Thank you, Bye." It is actually disgusting that the psychiatric nurses would treat a visitor this way, that it genuinely made me fear the safety of the patient I was visiting and other patients that cannot advocate for themselves. It is rephrensible that these nurses would take out their anger from me onto the patient, when she is in need of care and support. They also did this knowing that the patient was going to be receiving food soon and they had no devices at the time to contact me or advocate for themselves to receive their food. Taking advantage of mentally ill people who can't even leave a building is disgusting.
