COLUMBUS, Ohio — A loved-one passing away can be hard on everyone.
During the COVID pandemic, many hospitals had strict protocols where Ohioans were denied the ability to see their significant other during their final days.
However, The Never Alone Act has been introduced to the Ohio legislature and is trying to ensure that patients can have someone present during their stay at the hospital.
Hospitals across the country had protocols in place to prevent COVID-19 from spreading, including stricter protocols in certain conditions which could deny people at the height of the pandemic to see family members in hospital rooms. The goal was to keep the disease contained so the spread of COVID could be prevented.
Audra Whitman had faced a similar-experience with her mom being admitted to the hospital because of lung problems. Whitmansaid her mother was admitted to the hospital during the height of COVID-19, and she faced the strict protocols being denied access to see her mom after being admitted to the intensive care unit.
“My family’s life got flipped upside down when we weren’t allowed to see my mom,” said Whitman, “I begged, I pleaded, I talked to whoever I could talk to to be able to go see her.”
Whitman said when her mother died in the hospital she was separated from family, and did not get to say a last goodbye.
“She was there alone with strangers,” Whitman said. “That will be with me all my entire life, that if I would have been there, I would have if the hospitals were to let someone there, I would have been there.”
‘The Never Alone Act’ would ensure that all patients have access to their loved-ones while they are admitted to the hospital.
“Quite frankly, everybody when they’re facing a difficult situation in their life, cancer, hospice care, a situation in the hospital where maybe they are unresponsive,” said State Rep. Melanie Miller, R-Ashland. “It’s so important that every individual has the right to someone to be there with them, an advocate or a loved one, to advocate for their needs. So I believe this bill would allow patients to know their rights.”
Miller believes a pandemic can happen at anytime. She says this bill would stop hospitals and health departments from preventing families from spending those last moments together. She believes a final goodbye is critical.
“Part of the bill, what we added, would be for the Department of Health to create an acknowledgment sheet for patients when they’re admitted so that they know their rights,” Miller said. “They know that they have a right to an advocate and it’s called the ‘never alone sheet.’ I think that will also help patients know that they have a right to that individual as well.”
Miller said she cannot imagine what it is like to lose a relative and not physically be able to see them in their last moments.
“For some people who lost their loved one they didn’t get to hold their hand in those final breaths,” Miller said. “They didn’t get to say goodbye, and that’s what we’re fighting for.”
However, some lawmakers believe hospitals need to have the ability to take steps that keep patients and staff safe. State Rep. Anita Somani, D-Dublin, who is also a practicing OBGYN, told Spectrum News:
“While the intent of this bill is good, legislation that interferes with the patient-physician relationship can sometimes create a distrustful environment that can lead to inadequate diagnosis and treatment. What we experienced during COVID was hopefully a once-in-a-lifetime event, but there’s always the risk of another outbreak of some sort that would make it hard to comply with this proposed legislation and properly care for patients.”
