4 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2021
OPINION
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Podolsky: I was drugged at AEPi. Evanston Hospital failed me. ISABEL PODOLSKY
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Content warning: This story contains mentions of drugging. I was one of the students drugged at Alpha Epsilon Pi on the night of Sept. 23. However, the story I’m going to tell has nothing to do with Greek life. Rather, it’s about the ordeal I experienced traveling to and while inside the emergency room of the Evanston branch of the NorthShore University HealthSystem. The night I was drugged, I had consumed two drinks over a period of three hours. I took two sips of a “non-alcoholic” drink that was offered to me, only to realize 30 minutes later that I had been drugged. I ended up on a couch in Kemper Hall, dissociating, able to speak coherently but unsure if I could move my body. I was aware that I had been drugged, so I called my parents. They wanted me to go to the hospital, as they believed I would receive appropriate care in an emergency room. Visiting the hospital would also ensure that I could get tested to determine the drug in my system. I resisted calling for medical assistance at first because I knew that doing so would bring University Police to the scene, but, as my condition deteriorated, I capitulated and allowed the residential director to summon EMS personnel. My memory is patchy, given my situation, but moments stick with me: One EMS worker, standing above me and shaking her head with an expression on her face that said I should have known better. Another EMS worker, after declaring that my physical state warranted bringing me to the hospital, deciding it would be okay for me to walk myself down to the ambulance and not providing any sort of assistance when I did so. The EMS team telling my friend she couldn’t ride in the ambulance with me because she wasn’t family, though my family lives 600 miles away. Then, at the very last minute, after she’d worked out alternative arrangements to get to the hospital, the EMS team reversing course. The attendant in the ambulance choosing to have me sit upright on a bench and condescendingly asking me to move to my “other right” when I struggled to find the seatbelt, which was a challenge for me. At that point, the drug had made my vision incredibly blurry. I should have known even before I arrived at the hospital that I was I should have known even before going to be belittled, disI arrived at the hospital that I believed and was going to be belittled, mistreated. I spent disbelieved and mistreated. two hours in emergency room 20 at OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR Evanston Hospital. I was unattended (not even provided with fluids or a blanket) for around three-quarters of this time period. Initially, my vitals were taken (something one hospital staff member thought necessitated asking me to take my shirt off ) and I did a urine test, which I was informed would be a full drug panel. I requested a blood test, too, since I know that these tests are more accurate, but was
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- ISABEL PODOLSKY,
told it would be too “difficult.” I later found out that, instead of conducting a full drug panel with my urine sample, the doctors only tested for marijuana and Valium. The reasoning behind this? I wasn’t “physically assaulted,” so they couldn’t conduct a full drug panel without going to a crime lab. Because of their malpractice, I will never know what drugs were in my system that night. Moreover, it means evidence in the investigation against those who drugged me doesn’t exist. I wasn’t the only victim. The doctor’s negligence is an injustice to all of us. The recurring theme of my hospital stay? The staff didn’t believe me when I said I was drugged. They told me I “probably just couldn’t hold my liquor.” My discharge papers list “alcohol intoxication” as my reason for admittance. Though there are many things I don’t know about that night, I can affirm that I was not drunk, and I am horrified that my words were not taken at face value. This is why victims do not come forward. That being said, even if I were drunk, that would not be an excuse to withhold necessary medical treatment or act without basic human decency. Operating under the assumption that the doctors believed I was just very drunk, when I requested to have an IV of fluids administered, I was ignored. Had I been suffering from alcohol poisoning, this IV would have been necessary. It was apparent the medical staff at the hospital did not care, and would never care, to assist someone they perceived as just another girl who made dumb choices at a fraternity party. After 90 minutes with no further medical attention, a time period during which I was permitted to doze off when doing so could have led to serious complications, I was unceremoniously given my discharge papers and told to leave. My I made it back to campus at friend and I had to walk 4:30 a.m. feeling more violated ourselves than when I had arrived. out of the hospital, with no OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR more guidance than an attendant sitting at his desk screaming, “Wrong way!” as we sought an exit sign. I made it back to campus at 4:30 a.m. feeling more violated than when I had arrived. I am writing today to hold the Evanston Hospital accountable for how they treated me. The medical professionals tasked with protecting my health failed me. I don’t feel safe knowing that, if this happens to me or somebody else again on this campus, we can’t trust that we’ll receive appropriate and compassionate medical care. The hospital dismissed me and denied me the ability to know what drug I and others ingested, but they can’t take away my ability to publicly call upon the administration of the NorthShore University HealthSystem to do better.
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- ISABEL PODOLSKY,
Disclaimer: While my visual memory from that night is perfect, my memory of what was said to me is not. My close friend, who was with me for the entire night, relayed everything that was said to me when I regained full cognitive function the next morning. These words are quoted directly when possible. If you are comfortable sharing stories and reflections related to this weekend’s events, The Daily’s Opinion desk is welcoming community voices. Submit any op-eds or letters to the editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com.
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