EDMONTON- The family of a 22-year-old woman who passed away at Alberta Hospital early Saturday morning is demanding answers.
Marie Goltman says her father received a phone call from doctors around 4:00 a.m. Saturday, informing him his daughter Lisa had passed away.
“He said ‘we found (Lisa) unresponsive. And my dad said ‘what do you mean unresponsive?’ And they said she wasn’t breathing. And my dad said ‘what are you telling me? Is she okay?’ and (the doctor) said ‘no, she’s passed away.'”
Marie says her mom and dad visited Lisa, who suffered from bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia, for two hours on Friday night.
“She kept saying ‘Mom, get me an ambulance, I’m going to die’ and she said ‘no you’re not sweetheart, you’re coming home, you’re sick.'”
Marie says the details of what happened between the time her parents left Lisa Friday night and the time they received the phone call Saturday morning are vague. She says a nurse at Alberta Hospital told them Lisa had urinated herself in her room Friday night and was put in a seclusion room.
“That was at 11:00 p.m. last night. They left her there and they found her dead around 3:00 a.m. That’s all that we know. We were not told anything else,” Marie explained.
This isn’t the first time the Goltman family has questioned Alberta Hospital. In March, the family spoke out after Lisa was taken to the University of Alberta hospital with bruises and cuts. Staff at the hospital told the Goltman family Lisa had fallen and slipped on urine in her room.
At the time, police told Global News an investigation was underway, and Alberta Hospital said the incident was being reviewed internally.
The family has noticed a change in Lisa since the incident in March. Marie says she’s been very quiet, but visibly agitated and upset. Marie says they’ve voiced their concerns with doctors at Alberta Hospital.
“We’ve been asking the doctors at Alberta Hospital, we’ve been in contact with the head of Alberta Health Services this whole time she’s been there, begging them to help us,” Marie explained. “And we told them we need help, Lisa’s not right, there’s something wrong, she’s getting worse. And they all said, ‘no, we’ve seen improvement. She’s getting better. She’s healthier, she’s happier.’ And we (said) ‘no, it’s the complete opposite.'”
AHS officials released a statement Saturday afternoon saying their thoughts are with the Goltman family.
“This was an unexpected death at the Alberta Hospital Edmonton. Edmonton police and the Medical Examiner are investigating. We are cooperating fully with the Edmonton police and the Medical Examiner to determine what happened to the patient,” the statement read.
“An investigation into the family’s prior concerns was undertaken by AHS, and the conclusions were provided to the family. This investigation did not reveal any evidence of inappropriate conduct by staff.”
But, Marie says her family is not satisfied, and won’t be until they get to bottom of what happened to her sister.
“I just want to know why she died. I want to know why no one listened to us.”
The Goltman family had the opportunity to say goodbye to Lisa at the hospital Saturday morning.
An autopsy has been scheduled for Monday.
With files from Vinesh Pratap.
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