Florida hospital defends secretly deporting patient

Florida hospital defends secretly deporting patient

news.yahoo.com

STUART, Fla. – All sides agree on one thing in the case of a South Florida hospital that secretly repatriated a seriously brain injured patient back to Guatemala.

During the early hours of a steamy July 2003 morning, Martin Memorial Medical Center chartered a private plane and sent Luis Jimenez back to the Central American country without telling his relatives in the U.S. or Guatemala — even as his cousin and legal guardian, Montejo Gaspar, frantically sought to stop the move.

(visit the link for the full news article)

The hospital spent 1.5 million keeping this guy alive and he was an illegal allien. I have personaly witnessed such cases. My hospital spent almost as much keeping a similar patient alive who just appeared on the doorstep .

If the family is that chocked up then they should have paid up for his care. We cannot take care of our citzens let alone those not int his country lawfully.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 7/23/09 by FredT]

I don't believe the hospitals should be in the business of deporting people.

But yes, a lot of money was spent on this man. They should of come to the Immigration and said: deal with him.

I do agree that we have let these people in to do menial labor. And they support business by doing it cheaply. And they are at risk for doing so. But at the same time, they are also not putting money back in the economy.

I think that if businesses insist on hiring illegals, then they should pay for the healthcare if somethign happens.

Not fair to not pay taxes and ss on the immigrants part, and not pay taxes and benefits on the company part, to only have the public foot the bill if something happens.

reply to post by FredT


My fiancée is a nurse and she says the hospitals are overran with Mexicans having newborns. They get free births and we have to pay thousands, Go figure. I say we should have ICE units at all hospitals waiting for them. Send them all back.

My county is now offering On-line education for all grades because they have flooded the schools so bad. The Mexicans will not take this option because then they loose their babysitter.

Send the illegals home, All of them.

Originally posted by nixie_nox
I don't believe the hospitals should be in the business of deporting people.

But yes, a lot of money was spent on this man. They should of come to the Immigration and said: deal with him.

They wont, Police stopped calling immigration to pick up illegals because they would never come get them. I have that on word from cop friends of mine.

reply to post by FredT


Although my comments are going to come of as hypicritical as I have been going back and fourth defend my own thread about rights to privacy against businesses being asked to spy on the public but I agree with what the Hospital did. I don't believe that illigals should be treated by our clinics, hospitals, given credit, liciences to drive or anything that Legal visitors, Legal tourist, Legal residence and Legal U.S. citizens would be getting. If this was the case cost wouldn't be so damn much. (it is one reason for clinics closing, cost rising and legal citizens out of work)

I know, I know, I know... I'm a Hater? whatever!

How much of that 1.5 million is in trumped up corrupt HMO bull#? How much money was spent on actual irreplaceable materials and health physicians time? There is difference between the reality and what these health care conglomerates say.

Seems kind of shady for a hospital to dump a guy with a BRAIN INJURY in another country. Why did the hospital do this and what gives the authority to do so? Why didn't the hospital just hand him over to Immigration and say "Here". There's not nearly enough details in this case but something really doesn't seem right here. How often do hospitals use private planes to dump patients in foreign countries and what's the criteria and procedure for people they do this too?

reply to post by CuriousSkeptic


A better question would be "How much of the 1.5M was the true cost of his care, and how much was a 'make up' charge for those illegals that use the 'free' services of the ER?"

The hospital stabilized him and shipped him out. If the family can afford counsel, then they can afford to pay on their relative's outstanding bill.

reply to post by Viking04


The counsel is working pro bono.


2nd line

This should happen more often.
Too bad they couldn't have gotten the whole family on the plane.
These people are a drain and we should be under no obligation to take care of them.
They would stop coming here if we stopped treating them like special guests.

reply to post by nixie_nox


Thanks for the info, then they should be taxed for the full value of the attorney's time and costs. I am sure that his or her billing records can provide the basis for a mean hourly rate.

What I don't get are these "unlawfully detained and deprived of liberty" charges. What the dickens is that about?

In 2004, an appeals court ruled the lower court had overstepped its authority, and that the hospital did not have the right to return Jimenez to Guatemala.

Before sending them to the jury room Thursday, Martin County Senior Judge James Midelis told jurors that the appeals court had already decided that Jimenez was "unlawfully detained and deprived of liberty." Midelis said the jury's task was to decide whether the hospital's actions were "unreasonable and unwarranted under the circumstances," and whether its actions had in turn caused Jimenez damage.

The jury found for the hospital

Interesting that he was sent to live with his mother in such a remote setting, instead of his wife. It doesn't mention if she was the family (here) that wasn't notified when he was returned to Guatemala. Very sad situation.