Although I have to admit it came as no great surprise, I was disappointed yesterday when the Iowa City VA Hospital & Clinic apparently struck back in response to my on-going vigorous and justifiable campaign to assert my Constitutional Rights and assist the Iowa City VA Hospital & Clinic in rectifying an alarming pattern of religious discrimination.
Even after my meeting with the VA patient advocate and a representative from Chaplain Services Wednesday (accompanied by my Rabbi), the VA has agreed to rectify only one of the issues of religious discrimination I have brought forward: they have agreed to provide kosher food for patients who request it. During my three hospitalizations at the Iowa City VA Hospital I had been denied kosher food and had to endure each hospitalization without eating. Regarding all other issues, both those I have addressed within my blog and others: the VA has refused outright to take action on some, and others the VA has agreed only to "look into."
Certainly the Iowa City VA’s resistance to correcting obvious and on-going examples of religious discrimination was serious enough on the face of it; but yesterday they upped the ante.
Yesterday I had a follow up appointment with my primary care physician regarding my present affliction with kidney stones. For the last couple of weeks this problem has only been addressed within the Iowa City VA’s Urgent Care Clinic and my supply of pain medication will soon be exhausted. After a CAT scan last week I had been told that I have three kidney stones in my left kidney. (I believe it’s relevant here to note that I have a long and storied history with, as well as a service-connected disability for kidney stones.) When I met with my Primary Care Physician today, he informed me that I, in fact, have five kidney stones: four in my left kidney and one in my right (although I am currently experiencing pain only in my left kidney.) But after he informed me of this he dropped the real bombshell: he told me he was convinced that my pain couldn’t be as severe as I was claiming due to the size and location of the stones, and therefore he would not provide me with any further pain medication. When I expressed my displeasure regarding this development, reviewing with him my well-documented experience with kidney stones, he responded by blaming the pain on my PTSD, and then made the following snide remark, "You’re a religious Jew. Why don’t you try prayer or meditation?"
Does anyone really expect me to believe it’s just a coincidence this happened on the day after I confronted (along with my Rabbi) the Patient Advocate and Chaplain Services regarding religious discrimination? And where do I go from here?
Yesterday afternoon I spoke with an attorney (I do not yet feel free to disclose his name or the name of his advocacy group) and we are in the beginning stages of developing both a comprehensive and aggressive legal strategy.
I hope to keep readers here up-to-date on emerging developments in this struggle. I want to express my deep-felt gratitude once again for all the support I’ve received within the blogosphere, particularly now, as I struggle with issues regarding my personal health as well as with on-going religious discrimination and seemingly outright Anti-Semitism at the VA.
10:15am Friday - Update: It appears as though the Iowa City VA has already begun to hear the drumbeat of legal action. I just received a call from the head of the medical peer review board who assured me I would be promptly assigned a new primary care physician and that he hopes to have my pain medication refilled for me on Monday next week before my supply runs out. I find it remarkable that they have been so willing to walk off the cliff in regards to my treatment, but as soon as they get a whiff of legal action they immediately scramble for loose dirt, trying to pull themselves back up.
10:30am Friday - Update: Things are moving quickly now. I just got a phone call from the medical supervisor at the Iowa City VA Hospital/Clinic. I have been assigned a new Primary Care Physician and have an appointment to meet with him on Monday afternoon to secure appropriate pain medication to address my kidney stone pain.
Gratuitous Assessment (and I know I’m preaching to the choir here): I have been genuinely encouraged by the level of support and assistance I have received here by the net roots community. Why has it happened? Two Reasons: 1. Unabashed liberals like myself truly cherish the Constitutionally mandated separation of Church & State; and 2. After thousands of years of marginalization and outright genocide, it has become something akin to religious doctrine for Jews to look out for other Jews. Of course it hasn’t escaped my notice that I’ve received much support outside the Jewish community as well, and I want to be clear that I have appreciated it every bit as much as that from my Jewish brothers and sisters. After all, we who cherish liberty are quick to defend it. Contrary to the demagoguery of the nut-jobs on the Right, Liberals are both the natural and true defenders of freedom. Every time I hear the shrill voices of James Dobson and Pat Robertson spin their lies about America being founded as a Christian Nation, I am only reminded of the fact that the Framers of our Constitution and Founders of our Nation were actually liberal-minded individuals, unashamed of being intellectuals (in striking contrast to today’s conservative band of thieves, along with their champion, the Bushwhacker), who mined a wealth of liberal philosophy to draft the language and intent of our Constitution; even an old died-in-the-wool conservative like John Dean admits as much in his Conservatives Without Conscience (a slender but potent volume worthy of anyone’s time, in my humble estimation.)