The ex-husband of a victim of a hit-and-run claims the bad treatment she received at the hospital was at least partially racially motivated.

Mary Stewart was crossing the street in Chilliwack shortly after 1 a.m. on Sept. 9 when she was struck by a vehicle described as a light-coloured semi.

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The vehicle did not stop, and the 55-year-old was left with a broken femur, other fractures, and a crushed foot. Stewart was rushed to hospital by ambulance where she was examined, received X-rays and then promptly discharged.

That鈥檚 when her terrible night turned into a nightmare.

鈥淭o me, it is really crazy that could happen at all,鈥� her ex-husband and father of her children Eddie Julian told The Progress Monday.

Despite Stewart鈥檚 serious injuries, and despite receiving an X-ray, Julian said she was kicked out of the hospital into the rain. He attributes the staff鈥檚 actions to the fact that she is aboriginal from the Skwah First Nation, and a recovering addict on the methadone program.

鈥淢ary was treated worse than the chickens that are being abused on the farms here,鈥� Julian last Friday, comparing it to the ongoing controversy involving .

Julian wasn鈥檛 with Stewart that night 鈥� she was with her new partner, Raymond. Julian said when a nurse grabbed her leg and started to pull her off a stretcher into a wheelchair, it was Raymond who stopped the nurse and did his best to get her in the chair.

The two were told to leave, but without a ride or a phone, they stayed in a covered area to wait out the pouring rain.

鈥淏ecause they didn鈥檛 leave when she was released, they said they would call the police,鈥� Julian said. 鈥淟ooking back on it, that might have been the best thing to happen.鈥�

In excruciating pain, Stewart was pushed in the wheelchair in the rain along the bumpy sidewalk.

鈥淭hey only made it over a block behind the Shoppers Drug Mart. That was all that she could take riding in that wheelchair.鈥�

The two waited out the night in the alley, then went to a pharmacy in the morning where they were told she should be at the hospital.

In a statement to The Progress Tuesday, Fraser Health apologized for the incident and confirmed Stewart was mistakenly ordered out of the hospital.

鈥淲e are very sorry about the experience this patient had while being treated in our hospital, and this is certainly not the level of care we strive for,鈥� Fraser Health spokesperson Nafisa Abdulla said in an emailed statement.

鈥淎fter further examination of this patient鈥檚 test results, we realized she had been prematurely discharged, so we immediately reached out for her to come back to the hospital for treatment.

鈥淲e are looking at what happened during this patient鈥檚 care journey, including speaking to staff about their interactions with her and better understanding the sequence of events that led to her negative experience.鈥�

Abdulla said the manager of the emergency department is leading this work, while senior hospital staff conduct a formal patient safety review.

鈥淎 patient safety teview is a process protected under Section 51 of the Evidence Act that enables doctors, nurses and other staff who were involved in a patient鈥檚 care to openly review and discuss what happened. The objective is to see if there are opportunities for improvements in our health care system and the care we provide.鈥�

She said once this is done, next steps including possible changes around 鈥渃ultural safety鈥� could be implemented.

鈥淚n the meantime, we continue to support our patient as she recovers from her injuries.鈥�

One way is the 鈥淓lder in Residence鈥� program, which provides guidance, counselling and support to patients, ensuring Indigenous perspectives and approaches to wellness are honoured.

Stewart was still at the Chilliwack hospital by Tuesday, awaiting a program to start rehabilitating from her injuries.

Julian said he feels Stewart is being treated better now, but he has heard from other visitors that she is not getting the response to pain medication as quickly as she should.

鈥淪ometimes they don鈥檛 respond quick enough,鈥� he said, adding he heard on one evening she asked at 1 a.m. and didn鈥檛 received medication until 6 a.m.

As for any review done by the hospital or Fraser Health, Julian is hopeful for Stewart鈥檚 case, but he wonders how often former addicts and/or Indigenous people in general are treated like this.

鈥淚鈥檓 hoping something will come of it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n Mary鈥檚 case, maybe something will happen, but what about the next person who needs care in an emergency?鈥�

paul.henderson@theprogress.com
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