RE: Family Ride alongs

["Paul M. Wright, Jr." <pmwright@home.com>]

I know there will be a spectrum of opinion on this topic and there are probably good arguments that can be made from both perspectives.  I like George's take on the matter and like him, I have not had problems with parents accompanying their children on a medical transport.

 

I believe very strongly that a child should not be deprived of the presence of a parent during an event that will be of critical importance in both their lives, except for rational cause.  A parent exhibiting overtly hostile behavior or evidence of chemical impairment would be rational causes, as would lack of aircraft weight capacity.  A blanket prohibition against all ride-alongs as a stated reaction to the world since September 11 is not, in my opinion, rational.  If such a prohibition stood between me and one of my injured children, I would be angry, too.  Because in a critical moment that can never be un-done, someone would have acted unilaterally and without rational reason to deprive me of my right and responsibility to be my child's spiritual guide through rough waters and, if necessary, to be present at the point and time of departure from this life to the next.

 

I am aware that some programs use a ride-along prohibition in the belief that it reduces their liability exposure in the event of an accident.  I haven't crunched the numbers in such a manner as to be able to buttress my argument with actuarial precision, but I believe any claimed liability savings are illusory and likely offset by the litigation costs associated with cases where the parents' suspicions of inadequate or inappropriate medical care (well-founded or not) are fueled by the forced separation.

 

At some point, we're in the business of patient care with particular emphasis on the "care" part.  From my own point of view, I cannot reconcile the policy and practice of separating families with that of a goal of providing holistic care to their spirits as well as their bodies. 

 

To all programs embracing these policies, I would ask you to consider what you're really trying to protect.  All too often, what is really at stake is simply that we want to draw a curtain around our potential mistakes.

 

 

regards!

 

paul

 

Paul M. Wright, Jr.

Mesa, AZ