Gary Fowler died in his Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan home on April 7, after experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
What We Know:
- After three hospitals turned him away, Fowler’s stepson Keith Gambrell told USA Today that he was never tested for the virus. “My dad passed at home, and no one tried to help him, He asked for help, and they sent him away, they turned him away.”
- After experiencing shortness of breath, a cough, and a fever, hospitals sent him away numerous times. Doctors told Fowler, “You’re fine. You have bronchitis. Go home. Drink water. Act like you have the virus.”
- Gambrell said his stepfather started showing symptoms of COVID-19 after the family visited Fowler’s father, David Fowler, on March 22.
- They believed David Fowler, 76, had the flu, but he passed out in the bathroom. He was then rushed to and admitted to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, where he tested positive for COVID-19 and later put on a ventilator.
- David died on April 6 and Fowler died the day after.
- Fowler’s stepson believed it was his because his father was African American and that medics are bias when it comes to the COVID-19 and the impact on the affected communities.
- “Henry Ford Health System said it does not deny care to anyone. Some patients will meet criteria for admission at the time, while others may not. In the case of COVID-19, we have a multistep triage process. As patients arrive to our emergency department, all are screened for COVID-19 symptoms. Those with mild or moderate symptoms who do not meet admission criteria at the time they present may be sent home with strict instructions to return immediately if symptoms worsen,” a Henry Ford spokesperson told USA Today. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the Fowlers and all families devastated by the effects of COVID-19.”
But sending a patient out three times in a row for the same reason? Something in the water is not right!
