Released to The Great Beyond

"Released to The Great Beyond" is a saying that is used at the hospital for those patients that are discharged and have no one and no resources.

In other words if your homeless and are dismissed from the hospital then your on your own and the hospital doesn't seem to care about your future.

It's strange that a hospital will do all they can while your in the hospital, but they fail to ensure your care as soon as you walk out the door.

How can I say that?

Over the last few weeks I have seen it happen twice now in David's care or lack there of!

This second episode happened on Saturday evening.

David was being released from the hospital after being there for over a week.

As we were preparing to leave the nurse gave me a script for a miracle drug that is keeping David alive.

I asked the question where do we fill the script?

She very willingly called a few pharmacies to see who carried the drug.

No surprise here, no one had it in stock.

The drug is very expensive. $300-$350 A PILL!

Needless to say David could not afford the medicine.

I told the nurse that we could not leave without knowing where we were going to receive the pills he needed.

She made a call and we got one pill to carry us over till the next day. This was on a Saturday.

What would have happened if the question was not asked?

We were told to come back on Sunday to the pharmacy at the hospital.

At the hospital pharmacy David receives drugs using his Va Coordinated Care card.

On Sunday we made the trip and sure enough the pharmacy did NOT have the medicine!

How does this happen? It's not that complicated, but yes it is!

It's all about the money!

When I spoke with the Dr about the situation she alluded to the fact that David was insistent on leaving the hospital.

I agreed and could understand why, but what she was really saying was that he could only get the meds he needed if he stayed in the hospital.

Stay in the hospital just to take a pill? Literally!

After much discussion the Dr found a way to get David three more pills that will last him till Wed.

The next step would take place at his Dr appt on Tuesday.

I could write a book about how David would have died by now if he was still living in the woods.

The hospital is supposed to take care of all their patients and try to treat them.

Unfortunately there comes a time where the patient is released to "The Great Beyond" and the hospital seems to wash their hands of it!