Dignity Health
St. Josephs Hospital and Medical Center
350 W Thomas Rd
Phoenix, AZ. 85013

Reference: Mailer attached below

Don’t tell me about COMPASSION! Within five minutes of entering Dignity Health Chandler Regional Hospital, my wife Christina, became a statistic. She was immediately put on oxygen because she registered 89% oxygen saturation. There was no conversation with her or me about our options of care or to take her some place else. I was not informed that once placed on oxygen she would not receive Regeneron. Nor was I informed that as a Hospital you don’t believe in Ivermectin. Had I been told about either of those protocols, I would never of left her in your care.

The nurse checking my wife in strictly followed protocol. There was no evaluation on what was best for my wife. Neither the hospital nor attending doctor contacted me to discuss treatment. I was not allowed back for 10 days because I also had Covid. As a hospital, you did whatever you wanted. I was finally contacted 15 days after dropping her off to be told by the doctor that Christina was doing much better. He stated he was going to watch her the next two days and then would talk to me about bringing her home.

Three days later I, along with my wife, was faced with my very first and only health care decision. Dr Shikri came in and said, “I have been watching your numbers and if we don’t intubate you now and put you on a ventilator, you will die tonight!” WOW! What an option. We looked at each other and said, “If that is what we have to do!” She died right there in room B260. She never woke up again. 27 days after I dropped her off for what I thought would be an overnight visit to help her.

Your mailer states COMPASSION is the difference between you and other ER’s. There was no compassion when we arrived to get tested at Dignity Health ER at Baseline and Gilbert. After meeting with us separately, we were then put together in one room and the doctor finally came in. No real conversation, he just stated he was going to test us for the flu and common cold and that it would take 20 minutes or so. Thirty minutes later he came back and said they were negative and that he would test us for Covid and the results would be in the next day, which was Monday. He was going to let us leave even though my wife was having difficulty breathing. Her oxygen saturation was 98% at that time. I asked him for something to help her and all he gave her was a prescription for a steroid inhaler. No suggestion about getting a Regeneron Treatment while the oxygen level is good and she was not admitted to the hospital. Not to mention it is also well within the seven day arbitrary cutoff date for getting treatment. The following day a nurse calls us and states we both have Covid. Once again there was no recommendation for any kind of treatment. Now remember, Dignity Health ER is/was the first line of defense or attack to try and stop the Covid from destroying my wife’s lungs. I called back and asked for a prescription for Ivermectin and all she said was, “No, we don’t do that!” Again, no follow up to offer an alternative, NOTHING, CRICKETS

There was no sign of real concern or compassion from the doctor; the only time he even perked up is when I mentioned we all have the same Hoka shoes. He responded with, “Yeah, now I can run again, these shoes keep my knees from hurting.”

Dignity Health failed my wife at every step. You can advertise all you want about COMPASSION, but your actions speak louder than your words. My wife’s ashes are at home with me in our bedroom. I kiss them every night when I go to bed and every morning when I wake up. I wonder how many hundreds if not thousands of other families lives have been destroyed by your protocols and lack of belief in other options.

I, at times, was in worse shape than she was. I made it because I was given Regeneron at your hospital on day 8 of being sick. My file states “At patient’s request.” I didn’t know I had to be the doctor. I also, because of compassion from my friends, I received hydroxychloroquine, hydroxyl and an IV vitamin drip; four treatments my wife never received. At times my oxygen saturation level was at 83% and 84% and I still made it. Dignity Health Chandler Regional kept my wife’s oxygen saturation for the most part at 93% or higher but never stopped Covid from destroying her lungs. I was never told how bad my wife’s lungs were, until Dr Mullens said we are not dealing with Covid anymore, we are trying to get her lungs to recover. I asked to see her recent x-ray. She only had 20-25% of her lungs left. I looked at Dr Mullens and said, “She would be lucky to be in a wheelchair on oxygen.” Dr Mullens reply was, “That’s the best case, she will most likely die in a breathing facility of a secondary infection.” Right then and there I knew it was over. Not a single doctor during the 18 days prior to ending up in the ICU said a thing to her or me on how bad her lungs were. I think back to when I could finally see her and she said she almost gave up twice but was going to fight and beat this. She never knew how bad it was.

I am sick every day that I chose to take my beautiful wife to Chandler Regional Hospital and basically dropped her off to her death from lack of treatment do to your protocols and the fact you don’t believe in Ivermectin. Our rights have been violated through fraud on your part by not involving us in every health care choice. Chandler Regional Hospital took my wife in under false pretenses that everything possible would be done, you lied through omission by not telling us what you would and wouldn’t do. Now I have to live with the fact I failed her by leaving her in your care. So please, refrain from sending me mailers touting your compassion.

Answer this for me, wouldn’t it have been more compassionate for Dr Charles Armstrong to of said, “Christina, your oxygen level is good, you should go over to Chandler Regional Hospital and get a Regeneron treatment while you are within the 7 day infection period”. Show some compassion of any kind, suggest something, not just send us out the door. There was no one else there that Sunday afternoon you had all the time you needed to provide options, discuss treatment and yet he offered nothing, no treatment option. If I could have kept her home two more days, she would have received what I did at home because of all the compassion our friends had for us and maybe she would still be alive. We will never know because you didn’t care enough to even try.

James Holland