cannabisnews.com: Hospital Wants To Reveal Information About Teacher





Hospital Wants To Reveal Information About Teacher
Posted by FoM on May 03, 2000 at 12:45:29 PT
By Samuel Maull, Associated Press
Source: Boston Globe
Hospital officials are seeking court permission to release a heroin-addicted fourth grade teacher's medical records to school officials because they believe she is a danger to her pupils. The teacher, identified in court papers as ''Jane Doe,'' checked herself into Gracie Square Hospital in Manhattan on April 24 suffering heroin withdrawal, court papers say. She checked herself out April 30 and returned to her classroom. 
The 32-year-old, a fourth-grade special education instructor at Public School 134 in Kensington, Brooklyn, told a psychiatrist at Gracie Square ''that during her lunch hour she routinely used heroin and returned to school late,'' court papers say. The teacher admitted using seven to eight bags of heroin and smoking two or three marijuana cigarettes daily, say court papers. ''Upon information and belief,'' court papers say, ''Ms. Doe had abused alcohol for 15 years, heroin for three years and marijuana for 20 years.'' The teacher, who previously had been admitted to the hospital for four days in December, told the psychiatrist, Dr. Clarence Chen, ''that she was surprised that she had not been fired,'' say court papers. Frank Bruno, Gracie Square's chief executive officer, said that because the law makes the teacher's medical records confidential, he has to get court permission to release them to the city's Board of Education. In his petition, filed Tuesday in Manhattan's State Supreme Court, Bruno says he believes the teacher's ''conduct rises to the level of neglect and can endanger the children assigned to her special education classes.'' The hospital ''is particularly concerned for the welfare of these children because it is Dr. Chen's medical opinion that Ms. Doe is not well motivated to participate in treatment,'' the court petition says. ''Ms. Doe is currently ambivalent toward treatment and not very insightful regarding her need for treatment,'' court papers say. They say that although she was still suffering withdrawal symptoms last Friday, she had to be convinced to stay until Sunday when she was released. ''It appears that Ms. Doe is more interested in withdrawal than active treatment of her addiction,'' Bruno's petition says. The hospital's lawyer, Alan Silver, said the treatment team at the hospital decided to seek permission to notify the Board of Education because ''they thought it rose to the level of public necessity. You have a potential risk to young children.'' Bruno said he did not know whether the teacher has an arrest record. Web Posted: May 3, 2000New York (AP) © Copyright 2000 Boston Globe Electronic Publishing, Inc. CannabisNews Articles On Heroin:http://google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&num=10&q=heroin+site:cannabisnews.com
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Comment #3 posted by Brian1 on May 04, 2000 at 06:47:56 PT:
Never mind
... the fact that although she has supposedly "abused" substances for many years, she was working and only was caught when trying to seek treatment. She probably is no more of a threat to the students than the police officer from DARE that comes in and shows the kids how to identify the drugs that they will most likely consume in the near future. He tries to scare them straight with threats of incarceration and mindless marijuana myths. The kids would most likely be more open to listen to the teacher that has used drugs, than the police officer who doesn't know what he is talking about (ie. buying the lie).
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Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on May 04, 2000 at 06:06:16 PT:
I agree
The sad fact of the matter is that most doctors are now part and parcel of major medical conglomerates. Those coglomerates use the bottom line of the profitability of continuing to ensure you as opposed to your actual health as being the most important consideration. That being the case, your doctor might well be sharing confidential information with his/her employer *covered under the legal umbrella of those documents they have you sign, authorizing release of your medical records to practically *everyone* who asks for them*.Take a good, close look at those things when you visit a new doctor, or have to go to hospital. They *seem* to be protective of your privacy, but with *one signature*, you are authorizing a *lot* of people to take a peek at your physical well-being. And not everyone who reads your test results has taken the Hippocratic Oath. 
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Comment #1 posted by J Christen-Mitchell on May 04, 2000 at 03:39:06 PT:
Forget Confidentiality
I used to be honest with doctors and trusted them. No longer. They've sold out as well. Confidential information will be used against you in any way imaginable. 
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