In mid-April, nurse assistant Amelia Mendoza, 52, was attacked by a violent patient. She was struck in the face, and on her head and neck while working at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena as a certified nurse assistant.
She reported the attack and was told to make an appointment at the in-house workers' compensation clinic on April 20. The clinic turned Mendoza away that day, and that night, while having dinner with her husband and son at a restaurant, she collapsed.
Medical reports indicate she had a massive hemorrhagic stroke. Mendoza is in a vegetative state, and is not expected to recover.
Unfortunately, Mendoza's health care is up in the air. Claims have been denied by her insurer, Blue Cross, and workers' compensation has denied claims made to them, as well.
Huntington Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Andrea Stradling said in a statement, "We do not believe [Mendoza's] current condition is related to any work-related injury." Blue Cross also released a brief statement, indicating that the hospital is responsible for determining what benefits are covered.
Attorney Russell Glauber is appealing the workers' compensation claim and asking the state board to expedite its response.
Dr. Arthur E. Lipper, who was hired by Glauber, has said he believes her stroke to be a result of Mendoza's work injuries.
Prior to her injury, Mendoza was "in her usual state of health," according to a note in her medical records. Afterward, though, she developed high blood pressure, and increasing anxiety about the incidents. She had no history of high blood pressure or agitation prior to being attacked.
According to her husband, Ralph Mendoza, his wife was "very tired and had a headache" at dinner on April 20. She was also concerned she would be fired for reporting the attacks.
Mendoza's husband is on disability himself, but because claims have been denied for her care, he is forced to care for her on his own, providing for all of her needs including crushing the medications to put in her feeding tubes and cleaning the tubes that allow for her bodily functions.
Written by Nicole Palmby
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