After being asked to leave an emergency room because their son, who has ADHD and autism, was allegedly being too loud while waiting to be seen for seizures, the boy’s parents in New Brunswick say they are angry. On July 15, Lorissa and Glendon Kingston brought their seven-year-old son Cayden to the emergency room of Saint John Regional Hospital. Since birth, Cayden, who is nonverbal and has epilepsy, has struggled with seizures. In recent days, he had been having longer ones. The absence seizures are significantly more severe than his typical jolting seizures. “The absentees can cause problems, like damage to the brain,” his father, Glendon, explained. Lorissa claims that upon entering the emergency room, they were instructed to wait in the children’s RAZ (rapid assessment zone) waiting room after receiving advice to take Cayden to the Saint John Regional Hospital. She recalls being alone with her son in that particular room after another patient left. “Then he started to get overwhelmed with all the seizures that he was having. Lorissa stated, “So he vocal stims, and he’ll have vocal outbursts where he just screeches, and it’s not really controllable.” “So he vocal stims, and he’ll have vocal outbursts. So he started having those and then the nurse come in and said, ‘If he can’t stop screaming, you guys will have to leave and you won’t be welcome here because he’s disrupting other patients.’” Lorissa says she explained to the nurse that her son can’t control the stims.
“Well then, I guess I need you guys to leave,” she says. As a result, we just got up and left, following up with a doctor later. The parents are upset that they are being forced to fight for their son’s health care because they feel like their son has been discriminated against. “I never thought we would ever get kicked out of an emergency room while seeking care for him,” Lorissa said.
“It is basically a human right to seek medical assistance, go there, and receive it. And they turned him away. So, it was sad because they were discriminating against him for being different.” Lorissa says she explained to the nurse that her son can’t control the stims.
“Well then, I guess I need you guys to leave,” she says. So we ended up just getting up and leaving and then followed up with a doctor after.”
The parents are upset that they are being forced to fight for their son’s health care because they feel like their son has been discriminated against. “I never thought we would ever get kicked out of an emergency room while seeking care for him,” Lorissa said.
“(It) is basically a human right that you need medical help, you go, you get the help you need. And they turned him away. So, it was sad because they were discriminating against him for being different.”
ER was at 206% capacity: Horizon Health
In a statement to Global News, Horizon Health Network said that while it could not comment on the specifics of the case due to privacy laws, it wanted to “express compassion to the child and their family during what was a distressing and difficult situation.”
Pam Power, the clinical executive director of emergency medicine and critical care, said Horizon does not deny care to any patient in the ER and follows a standardized triage protocol.
“We aim to provide compassionate, inclusive care to all patients. She wrote, “This includes attempting to accommodate patients who may be neurodivergent, nonverbal, or have other communication or behavioral challenges.” “Staff are encouraged to provide quieter spaces whenever they are available and to collaborate with families and caregivers to comprehend and support the patient’s individual needs.” The statement continues by stating that the other regional hospitals, including Saint John Regional Hospital, have been experiencing significant “capacity challenges.” She continued, “The ED inpatient occupancy at SJRH was at 206% on the date referenced.” Power advised anyone with concerns regarding their experiences to contact the department of patient relations. Lorissa shared a copy of an email she sent to that department on July 15 with Global News, but she stated that she has not received a response. She goes on to say that in the past, when they went to the doctor and Cayden was having vocal stims, they were given a different room, but they had never been denied care. Meanwhile, the Kingston family hopes speaking out about their experience will enact change because ultimately, they know they have to keep going to the hospital’s ER if Cayden needs medical attention.
“In the future, I know that I would bring him back if he had to go back, but the thought of “What if they kick us out again?” will still be in my head,” Lorissa said.
“It will never be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m confident that he’ll get the help he needs.’ Because I know they have the power to act, all I want is for the people I’ve reached out to do something.
Canadian family says son with autism kicked out of ER for being loud, disruptive
