Best way to express anger to an impersonal health-care institution?

July 9, 2008 12:29 PM

Help me vent my outrage to the CEO of a large medical institution.

Just had our first baby, who came out healthy but had problems breastfeeding his first week--much to the misery of father, mother, and child alike. We met with a lactation consultant at the hospital where he was born & she did wonders: now he's sucking like a champ. Has made ALL the difference this past week--better feeding, larger deposits in the diaper, and improved sleep (to a point) all around. Then on the follow-up call from the consultant today she tells us that she has just been laid off, along with several other lactation consultants. According to her, at least, the higher-ups want to downsize because their lactation station doesn't bring in revenue for the institution.

Mother and I are pretty outraged that a woman who made such a big difference in the life of our newborn is now losing her job. (The baby came early; had he been on time we wouldn't have been graced with this woman's care.) I'd like to write to the CEO of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center to voice my opinion. I realize that this is almost surely a futile gesture, but it's one that I'd like to make anyway.

I'm not so naive to think that he'd actually read the letter I write, but are there resources online that might get me a better address than simply GBMC's official address? I know that consumer sites have posted addresses for CEOs of airlines, toy companies, and the like that bypass the low-level customer service contact addresses and provide "real" addresses for higher-ups: is there anything like this for the health-care industry?

posted by azure_swing to health (16 comments total)

Um, well, I don't think I recommend doing this, but his name is easily available online and a person of that name is listed in the Baltimore phone directory (using the Google search term "phonebook:") with a home address.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 12:38 PM on July 9

Is your hospital part of a bigger group? We have two local hospitals here that are part of the Tenet Hospital Group. If your hospital is part of a bigger corporation, then you might want to send a letter to them as well. A lot of hospitals are downsizing, and this is just another example of some very important people who are considered throwaways.
posted by JAD'E at 12:52 PM on July 9

Yeah, I'd just write:

6701 North Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21204

It will get to him, and chances are you will get a response. I'd advise you to be polite, and focus most on how much the woman meant to your care. Getting outraged at her job lose will probably juts result in a "we can't discuss personnel or Human Resource issues" response.

You could also call 443-849-2000 and ask where you should write. They should be able to tell you.

You shouldn't need a "special" address to get a letter to the guy.
posted by cjorgensen at 12:54 PM on July 9

I would send an email to consumerist.com asking for advice. They may even post it if you wanted that kind of attention. [e-mail]
posted by anthropoid at 12:55 PM on July 9 [3 favorites]

A letter to the editor of the local newspaper can sometimes make a difference.

There is a probably a local chapter of the La Leche League and/or other similar organizations. Getting a group of citizens involved will be much more effective than a single letter from a single citizen.
posted by flug at 12:56 PM on July 9 [1 favorite]

I apologize for not answering your question directly, but no letter you send will be as effective or as enduring as getting a journalist interested in this.

You've got:

Downsizing in a care institution;
Profit-minded decisions that negatively impact the well-being of patients;
Babies.

I'm not saying they'll bite, but one phone call to the Baltimore Sun to express your distress and explain what a resource this service is to the community, especially if you find the right reporter, might work wonders.
posted by Shepherd at 1:05 PM on July 9 [9 favorites]

Ha! Doubled with flug. Sorry 'bout that.
posted by Shepherd at 1:06 PM on July 9

Thanks! Feel stupid not thinking of the Sun first, even know somebody there. . .
posted by azure_swing at 1:15 PM on July 9

Definitely seconding Shepard on this one. Picture the teaser now: "Coming up at 11, we'll show you how downsizing at your local hospital could possibly endanger the health of your children."
posted by Mach5 at 1:18 PM on July 9

my apologies to ShepHErd
posted by Mach5 at 1:20 PM on July 9

Is the doctor/midwife/whomever person who delivered your boy sympathetic? Perhaps in addition to the excellent suggestions above you could find an advocate on the inside- like someone who is on the board or a department chief? Dr. Stick (a family member and MD) really likes to go to bat for patients in cases like this (personally I think it makes jolly, chubby old Dr. Stick feel like a badass Old West Sheriff but whatever works).

Good Luck and congrats on the addition to your family!)
posted by pointystick at 2:07 PM on July 9

I'm doing my clinical hours to sit for the IBCLC (board-certified lactation consultant) boards, and I couldn't see this and not get upset and pass on a few more ideas.

What's outrageous to me is that most hospitals are doing everything they can to at least make it look like they are following the WHO, CDC, DHHS, AAP, UNICEF and Molly Pessl's 10 directives to be a "baby friendly" hospital and support breastfeeding. I know hospitals who do nothing but fudge their materials to make it sound like they do--it's a huge strategic marketing issue. I agree with the previous posters that the local media should be interested in a hospital that is not making decisions in the best interests of babies and families.

The CDC has a terrific evidence-based piece regarding what hospital administrations should be doing to educate and promote breastfeeding in the hospital setting (link takes you to the report)--and makes it clear in the evidence that hospitals that don't have higher infant mortality and serious illness. Hospital administrators are very big into "evidence-based," at least in theory, so it's nice to speak that language.

Finally, I don't think any hospital could say that LC's and breastfeeding education programs and centers make a profit, but they certainly contribute to the overal profit margin of the health care center by preventing more expensive illness and disease. Prevention is just not the sexiest way to make money--you don't need "state-of-the-art" to staff a good, even excellent, breastfeeding education program, and a bunch of matronly LC's with their arm around a new mom and baby explaining hand expression in a Boppy-filled room doesn't make for particularly exciting press materials. But you're right--this is important to families, to babies, and to the community. I hope these links and perspective help you write you letter and feel free to mefi-mail me with more questions or links.

I'm so glad you and your baby got quality help and that baby is nursing away! Congratulations!
posted by rumposinc at 2:35 PM on July 9 [1 favorite]

Advise that you don't vent your anger, but rather sanely present the case that the lactation consultant brings in revenue indirectly; specifically, mention that you were fully prepared to recommend the hospital to a few of your friends who are pregnant, but that you can no longer do so because the lactation consultant was such a significant portion of your satisfaction with the hospital, and so you will be advising them to seek out a hospital with an on-staff lactation consultant instead.

It will likely be obvious that you found out about this from the lactation consultant, so take a short paragraph to mention that you became aware of this after mentioning that you'd be recommending your friends to the hospital, and to your lactation consultant specifically, and that she'd made you aware of her departure in a manner that was not at all disparaging to the hospital.

Oh, and congrats on the new baby!
posted by davejay at 2:44 PM on July 9

Oh, and also:

Best way to express anger...

Was your question's title intended as a pun on expressing breast milk, or was that a happy coincidence?
posted by davejay at 2:55 PM on July 9

davejay: No pun intended, but I'm a big fan of fortuitous paronomasia, so thanks for pointing that out.

The Sun might be interested; spoke to an editor who was a little patronizing--"amazing, we used to all have kids before they had things like 'lactation stations'"--but said he'd have a reporter call me tomorrow. Thanks to all for all the advice and support, esp. rumposinc. The disappointing thing is that we otherwise had such fabulous care at GBMC; every other facet of our experience was absolutely first-rate. Which is why we were so surprised by this.
posted by azure_swing at 4:06 PM on July 9

I work very closely with healthcare executives. You've gotten good advice, though there are steps you can take to be a lot more effective.

First, no on venting and outrage. You want the decision to be reversed, right? Anger will get you brushed off politely, or else put them on the defensive (as in, digging in heels to defend the decision). Whatever you express, do it calmly and stay focused on the fabulousness of their hospital being compromised. Every hospital executive wants to believe they run a facility that's among the best in the world, or could be with a little more support. It's easier for them to hear a criticism that is premised on that perspective. Also, note that just as "baby" instantly gets this more attention, so does "mother". If the letter can be written in your wife's voice, as a mother, so much the better. If you do have to get a reporter involved, they'll love having that extra angle for the story.

Second, you don't need a special address. Heck, if you can find his email address your letter can go direct to his desk or his admin assistant's. But usually the corporate mailing address is just fine. The address isn't especially important. The addressees are incredibly important. The opinion of most patients means virtually nothing. But there are stakeholders whose opinion a nonprofit healthcare executive dares not ignore. An objection raised by a board member, major donor, corporate sponsor, or other major fundraiser (*cough*,) is likely to this idea dropped like a hot potato. Read their website and annual report, and you should unconver lists of people who have the ear of the CEO. cc your letter to a bunch of them (plus the head of the org's fundraising/development, whose job it is to keep all of those people happy), and specifically ask for each's response. If you've made a reasonable case that it is against the stakeholders' interest to be associated with this decision, you'll have recruited supporters who exert pressure far greater than a journalist's.
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 4:37 PM on July 9 [1 favorite]