I worked for this hospital at one time at another facility, St. Joseph Hospital Detox Center. One time a nurse showed me a scrapbook of patients, my clients, doing all manner of silly things while they were either drunk or high. The ER staff thought this was a really funny past-time. I thought otherwise.
I was brought to this ER one time, and since my room-mates said I was an overdose, the hospital just assumed that was the case. They sent me to a lock-up detox in another county, even though the Narcan they had given me had not done anything and only 3 of my methadone prescription I had gotten that day were gone. Within hours I was rushed to the ER in Skagit County where a diagnosis of pneumonia was given. I went into respiratory arrest at one point, was in the ICU for a week with my condition listed as "guarded". I spent an additional 2 weeks in the regular hospital and another 2 months in a nursing home.
When I went to confront them on this, they said I aspirated (choked on my own vomit) during my "overdose". I had been sick for 2 days previously. I have little to no memory of those two days. Not because I was high, but because I was SICK!
When the Narcan did not work, perhaps the ER doctor could have checked my lungs. He listed them as "normal", although within hours I was coughing so hard, I had an upper GI bleed.
If you live in Whatcom County, go to Skagit Valley Hospital, if you can. They will diagnosis you properly, not assume because of what non-medical persons say.
