Mayo Clinic, Pigeons, Picketers, Broken Eggshells...One Warbler Down
By Lisa Loucks-Christenson, Investigative Reporter and Publisher of the Rochester Sun Times News.
Published by the Rochester Sun Times News on May 17, 2024 at 23:30 (11:30 P.M.) CDT.
Rochester, Minnesota (Rochester Sun Times News) – In downtown Rochester, specifically at a distinguished healthcare establishment, where the flags sway gracefully outside and resident peregrine falcons seek sanctuary, a lifeless warbler was detected on the rooftop of the Gonda Building's third floor, dead.
A solitary pigeon perched nearby on the same rooftop as the warbler, observing its surroundings. It glanced downward, perhaps fixating on the healthcare facility’s staff picketing below. Their urgent voices reverberated through the air as they flailed their signs, advocating for change. Bereft of feathers, they express their truths, their words filled with a melancholic longing for the freedom they once had. To properly convey the significance of this, a journalist must delve into the details and effectively communicate their findings.
A Pigeon perched on the third floor of the Gonda Building attached to the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. © 2024 Lisa Loucks-Christenson
Today, as I walked out of the Gonda Building, I stopped at the window to observe the view. There, right in front of me, a dead vireo or warbler laid dead. A bird that would never sing again. The small bird, dressed in a metallic amour, shone under broken sun and clouds on the hot rooftop of the third floor, in plain sight. One small lifeless bird.
The warbler had become a metaphor exemplifying the plight of those battling cancer, distinguishing between individuals with or without healthcare, who bear the costs as they go. The presence of healthcare or the acceptance of their insurance cannot be ascertained solely by their outward appearance. When faced with a billing office, their identification becomes more challenging, much like vireos and warblers, avian creatures that can solely be distinguished by their vocalizations.
I reflected on the predicament faced by the people in Rochester who are completely devoid of healthcare. Business proprietors, acquaintances, and even the personnel present at the location where I currently stood. The sight of two broken egg shells on the roof served as a poignant reminder of another symbol that encapsulates life’s inherent fragility. Then, my eyes caught sight of the pigeon. He stood alone as the sole living being on the rooftop. I observed how it meticulously observed its surroundings.
I cast my eyes upon the exact place that warbler had perished. I considered the bird’s demise to be a tragic outcome resulting from its mistaken belief that flight and salvation were within reach. I have contemplated the shared destiny of individuals who become aware of the profound effects that traversing glass barriers has on their lives, as I have thoroughly documented.
In 2018, I had a lengthy conversation with a pilot who was a doctor, too. He was from Florida and flying and accompanying his billionaire client as his doctor’s advocate. He was there to speak doctor to doctor to ensure his client was receiving the best answers and care. He reported his client expressed a desire to learn how to invest his money to benefit individuals in need of healthcare. His concern for the people was truly genuine. I communicated to him that business owners and self-employed individuals often face a lack of health coverage and are typically the first to be denied access. Their existence is defined by an unwavering optimism, as they long for a breakthrough each day, seeking refuge in emergency rooms. They have been informed by emergency room doctors and nurses that it is essential to consult their primary care physicians rather than seeking care in the emergency room.
Some individuals are subjected to shame for their arrival, despite it being their only lifeline because the billing office has blocked them from receiving care at all, even when suffering complications of their cancer, diabetes, and other health concerns. Those people have resigned themselves to their fate, their voices barely a whisper, no longer seeking help from anyone. They are the struggling. I told him to invest in programs specifically for them. Those who have lost their voice, the workers and self-employed that are struggling to survive, literally.
The question that continues to intrigue me is how the funds, which originate from a variety of sources such as individuals, estates, farms, houses, and the philanthropic gestures of billionaires, are employed to provide aid to those in need. As I walk through the Mayo Clinic, I can’t help but notice the numerous plaques adorning its walls, serving as a testament to the honor and respect bestowed upon the generous individuals and businesses who gifted them. Were the funds primarily allocated towards putting up flags in front, proudly proclaiming their status as the number one in the world? Or were they intended to cater to the needs of individuals, couples, and even entire families who come seeking answers?
Even with the security of health insurance, a large portion of these individuals had to be sent back home due to their inability to afford the required deposits. The selflessness displayed by individuals and families who are willing to sacrifice their entire livelihood in order to rescue and protect their loved ones, including their spouse, child, parent, sibling, aunt, uncle, and many more, is truly awe-inspiring.
In my extensive experience of interviewing various individuals, I have come across a recurring and distressing theme. A considerable number of people, drawn by the allure of promises, embarked on a journey to uncover the truth. Regrettably, their funds eventually ran out, leaving them shattered and abandoned upon their return home. According to the information I received, several individuals were asked to leave until they could provide minimum deposits, which varied from $7000 to $23,500.
One person was kicked out of a program intended to help them with their mental health. They’d flown across the country to get help for their mental health. A black American Express card and Hollywood income, a person I witnessed buying gifts for everyone around them wasn't hindered by debt or lack of insurance. It wasn’t the money. It was because they spoke out against the Mayo Clinic.
I suggest taking the initiative to contact multiple sources and inquire if they are familiar with any attorneys who have pursued legal action against Mayo Clinic. There are two people that I have come across who have been directly impacted by this blockade, causing their families to have to seek out alternative healthcare facilities, similar to many others.
As part of my educational endeavors, I decided to enroll in a healthcare mistakes class offered by HarvardX last year. One of the topics I have recently been studying is hospital mistakes, and the significant impact they have had on causing fatalities. Part of my education involved understanding the negative aspects of healthcare and the avoidable nature of these errors. The lives of talented individuals and "metaphoric warblers," changed for ever, due to medical negligence.
Regardless of whether or not patients were insured, negligence from billing agents rendered health insurance irrelevant. The denial of care was experienced by two groups of people - one group faced refusal due to lawsuits they brought, while the other group was denied care for speaking out.
The non-medical personnel working in the billing office hold authority over the doctors, deciding matters of life and death. Is it not incumbent upon us to invest time and establish legal frameworks that hold individuals responsible for causing a death, particularly when a human life has been denied the essential care it required? Dear billionaires, do not allow yourselves to be deceived. There is a loss of human life occurring. I’m not afraid to speak out.
I am interested in knowing the reasoning behind granting a billing clerk the power to decline a test or medical procedure that has the potential to save someone’s life. What is the rationale behind a doctor advocating for a patient against a billing clerk?
Have charitable contributions been made to provide aid to people? I am skeptical about the utilization of funds for the betterment of individuals, given the significant number of people being rejected for care. I am curious why a significant number of people I am acquainted with are unable to receive necessary medical attention.
What is the reason behind the prevailing belief that one cannot be refused care at an Emergency Room, only to be advised otherwise upon arrival, suggesting they seek care from their primary care physician instead?
The issue at hand concerns the lack of access to necessary care for people. There is a considerable group of individuals who, despite being denied medical treatment, actively involve themselves in organ donation, blood and platelet donation, and demonstrate unwavering commitment to their work obligations, even when they are unwell, often working extended hours.
A healthcare facility of true greatness cannot maintain its position at the pinnacle without considering the impact it has on those it surpasses.
Currently, there is a portion of the population in Rochester that is being impeded. Pursuing legal recourse against the Mayo Clinic will lead to a lasting obstruction for you and your family. Patient beware.
I’ve recorded these stories! A dead warbler can’t sing, but it’s picture can speak, loudly.
Who else can will look at that warbler, with its beak partially opened, maybe in a final attempt to let out a sharp cry of defiance, and not be overwhelmed by a profound sense of sorrow?
I took the elevator down to the street. Upon reaching the street, I noticed that the picketing Mayo Clinic staff had already departed. I glanced upwards from the ground and now observed there were now two pigeons on the rooftop of the third floor, staring back at me.
I wondered if the picketers were facing denials for their healthcare too? I’ve talked to many Mayo employees that can’t get a primary care doctor, that can’t get the care they need, that have to show up even if they are sick. Some employees have had to go to work when they were sick with Covid, yes, Covid or they faced getting fired. On top of that, some of them are getting their paychecks garnished to pay off their medical bills.
I can tell you that a few weeks ago, a nurse told me, while in attendance of someone receiving care, I suggested to the nurse, “Maybe you could help them get a doctor referral.” Heavy air spilled from their lips, I’m not saying who it was or where, to protect them, but like the patient, an injured Mayo employee also repeated “Lisa, It’s almost impossible to get a primary doctor.”
Picketers don’t stop your work. I am merely a witness among many for your case. I have seen the desperation in your eyes, the pleading gaze as you labor through your sickness, your body shaking with the weight of your obligations. I have learned about the extent of your staffing shortage, imagining the overwhelming burden placed upon your shoulders. Doctors, nurses and employees may feel a suffocating sensation, as if a tightening grip is around your throat, making it increasingly challenging to breathe, due to the absence of support.
I hope you’ll remain steadfast. People are taking notice of what is happening to you in Rochester, Minnesota. Conversations are taking place in the presence of your shadows, with those who have traveled extensively around the world.
If interested, another investigative journalist posted this article: https://healthjournalism.org/blog/2023/02/minnesota-journalist-uncovers-lawsuits-mayo-clinic-filed-against-patients/#:~:text=The%20court%20records%20showed%20that,for%20unpaid%20bills%20last%20year.
Mayo Clinic can offer a response: news@rochestersuntimesnews.com.