The family of 49-year-old Esmin Green, who died on the floor of the Kings County Hospital psychiatric ward waiting room, received $2 million to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit against the city of Brooklyn, according to the Associated Press.
On June 19, 2008, Green, a psychiatric patient, collapsed in the waiting room after waiting 24 hours for treatment. She was not helped by patients or hospital staff members, although she was struggling to get up from the floor. During the incident, which was documented by a security camera, two hospital security officers and one member of the medical staff looked at Green briefly before walking away.
The victim stopped moving after 30 minutes. She was on the floor for an hour before a nurse checked her pulse. Blood clots caused her death.
According to AP, Alan Aviles, president of Brooklyn’s Health and Hospitals Corp., said that two of the hospital’s top administrators had been replaced. Additionally, 200 medical personnel would be added to the 600-member staff.
Aviles also noted that the new improvements would shorten the wait time in the psychiatric emergency room from 27 hours to eight hours.
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