{"id":14755,"date":"2025-01-29T00:43:42","date_gmt":"2025-01-29T00:43:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/01\/29\/inmates-get-treated-better-alberta-cancer-patient-on-stay-in-hospital-storage-room\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T00:43:42","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T00:43:42","slug":"inmates-get-treated-better-alberta-cancer-patient-on-stay-in-hospital-storage-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torontotribune.ca\/index.php\/2025\/01\/29\/inmates-get-treated-better-alberta-cancer-patient-on-stay-in-hospital-storage-room\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Inmates get treated better\u2019: Alberta cancer patient on stay in hospital \u2018storage room\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\u201cI cried,\u201d it was \u201clike being kept in captivity.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That\u2019s how Rose Roll of Taber described her stay at the Chinook Regional Hospital<\/a> in Lethbridge after she says she was moved to a bed in a storage closet.<\/p>\n

Roll claims she was also forced to find her own bedding, food, water from a vending machine and had to use a public washroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cInmates get treated better,\u201d said Roll in an interview with Global News.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least inmates get a toilet, sink and are treated with dignity.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tRose Roll, a cancer patient from Taber, Alta., says being given a bed in a storage closet at Chinook Hospital in Lethbridge was inhumane and inmates get better treatment.\t\t\t\t<\/span>
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\n\t\t\t\t\tGlobal News\t\t\t\t<\/cite>
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She was admitted to the hospital on Jan. 19 so she could be closely watched while undergoing a new form of cancer treatment, which she claims can cause serious side effects.<\/p>\n

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Roll said she was in \u201ca decent room\u201d for the first five days.<\/p>\n

She says her stay took a turn when she was told by staff that someone sicker needed that room.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people refer to it as the closet, some staff refer to it as the tub room, and some referred to it as the den or the storage room.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tA photo of the storage room Rose Roll says she was placed in during a recent stay at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge.\t\t\t\t<\/span>
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\n\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy: Rose Roll\t\t\t\t<\/cite>
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\u201c<\/strong>I was really shocked,\u201d said Roll, describing it as dusty, dimly lit and isolated.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey said if I had to go to the bathroom, I could go across the hall and use the washroom that belongs to the two male residents. But it was a busy room and we had a COVID outbreak on our floor \u2014 I really didn\u2019t feel comfortable going in there.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOne time when I was laying in there,\u00a0 I was napping, and two workers come in and they flipped on the light and they said, \u2018Sorry, we need stuff out of storage.’\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt got to the point where I was angry and I said, \u2018I\u2019m going to go home,\u2019 and they said, \u2018no, that\u2019s not in your best interest, you need to be monitored.\u2019 And I was thinking, \u2018Really?\u2019 Because I\u2019m not feeling like I\u2019m being monitored.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discharged a day later, Roll shared her experience and photos of the storage room on social media.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tRose Roll took to social media to share details of her recent stay at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge.\t\t\t\t<\/span>
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\n\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy: Rose Roll\t\t\t\t<\/cite>
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\u201cWe apologize to this patient for their experience at Chinook Regional Hospital,\u201d said Alberta Health Services in a statement to Global News.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn response to their concerns, we have removed the shelving unit and cleaned the room to enhance comfort and privacy. A washroom is located directly opposite the patient\u2019s room, and meals are provided to all patients, regardless of their room location,\u201d the statement added.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOver-capacity spaces are commonly utilized during periods of high demand to maintain patient care standards.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s an established practice and we emphasize patients in over-capacity spaces receive safe and appropriate care.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tAlberta Health Services has apologized to Roll for giving her a bed in a storage room and says the shelves full of hospital supplies that were in the room have now been moved, sharing an updated photo with Global News.\t\t\t\t<\/span>
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\n\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy: Alberta Health Services\t\t\t\t<\/cite>
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The Alberta NDP\u2019s health critic said Roll\u2019s account of her hospital stay is an example of the \u201cserious crisis\u201d facing Alberta\u2019s health care system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current government just doesn\u2019t care,\u201d Sarah Hoffman told reporters in Edmonton on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t care or they care more about their budget than they do about alleviating people\u2019s pain, letting them live with dignity, ensuring that you can have those things that give you a good quality of life back in your life by getting the care and treatment you need and yet to be left in what that patient described as a storage area was not dignified.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Global News reached out to the office of Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange and was referred back to the statement provided by Alberta Health Services.<\/p>\n

Roll said everyone needs to be treated with respect and dignity, and she hopes she\u2019ll never be put in a similar situation again.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve went through this scenario in my head several times because what if they did do that to me again? It scares me.\u201d<\/p>\n