According to the Detroit Free Press, a 56-year-old black man, Gary Fowler died sitting on a recliner beside his wife in Grosse Pointe Woods on April 7. This was only a few hours earlier, his father, David Fowler, also died after testing positive to the coronavirus.
Keith Gambrell, Gary's stepson, said that his stepdad tried to seek access to COVID test kits but was denied three times from three different hospitals. He said that his dad died because the hospitals sent him away.
Gary started showing COVID symptoms after visiting his dad David in late March. The family thought that David only had the flu, but when he passed out in the bathroom, they sent him to the hospital. Gary was placed on a ventilator when he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Gambrell said that when his stepdad had cough and fever weeks after visiting David, the family sent him to Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit Receiving Hospital, and the Beaumont Hospital. But even though Gary showed all symptoms including shortness of breath, all three hospitals did not allow him to receive any test or treatment.
Gambrell told CBS This Morning that his stepdad was begging for his life but hospitals kept sending him away, saying that the fever could be caused by bronchitis, and at the same time, they would give him a piece of paper telling him to act like he has the virus. He believed that because his father was black so hospitals did not take his step dad's symptoms seriously.
The operator of Detroit Receiving Hospital, Detroit Medical Center said that they did not have any record of Gary Fowler going into their hospital to be treated.
The representative from the Beaumont Hospital said that the number of COVID-19 cases in Southeastern Michigan is high so they are doing their best to care for their patients to evaluate and triage for their patients with the information that they know. They even said that they do not promote discrimination on race, gender, or any factor, and they grieve the loss of any patient to any type of illness.
The vice president of integrated communications of Henry Ford Health System, Brenda Craig, said that whether patients meet their criteria for admission or not, the emergency department will provide care and assessment to them. But for COVID-19 cases, they follow a multi-step triage process. All patients arriving at their emergency department would be screened for the coronavirus and would be sent home if they have mild or moderate symptoms and do not meet the admission criteria. However, they are strictly instructing patients to return immediately once their symptoms worsen.
She added that their thoughts and prayers are with Fowler and all the families that have been affected by the coronavirus and confirmed that they do not take any concern lightly but they keep patient's records confidential. Craig added that they have been following CDC guidelines regarding the coronavirus pandemic.
To have his two brothers, Troy and Ross, tested for COVID, Gambrell contacted his cousin Karen Whitsett, a State Representative. Sadly, his two cousins were positive.
According to the GoFundMe campaign, Gambrell's mom, Cheryl Fowler, was hospitalized on the same day that her husband died. After her recovery and release, Cheryl was admitted again due to COVID and pneumonia. The family has already raised $13,000 out of the $50,000 goal as of writing.
