From Comedy to Advocacy: Laura Bartlett's Fight for Patient Rights Amid COVID-19

Laura Bartlett, a former comedian with Four Funny Females, transitioned into patient advocacy during the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the diminishing trust patients have in hospitals, she founded the Hospital Hostage Hotline, a resource for patients who believe they are being held against their will in hospitals. Bartlett emphasizes that patients possess the right to leave the hospital regardless of medical staff’s advice and speaks up about the overlooked importance of informed consent in the healthcare sector. Bartlett also discusses her "Silver Bullet Solution" and mentions more resources on her website.

• Bartlett recommends downloading essential patient documents from OurPatientRights.com prior to hospital admission and sharing them with caregivers.
• She narrates an incident about a man who was initially hospitalized for a UTI, but then tested for COVID-19 and expedited towards receiving a ventilator.
• Bartlett recognizes the difficulties faced by doctors nationwide due to the misuse of medical boards to punish them for executing their duties effectively.
• She emphasizes that treatments without informed consent can be likened to "medical rape", and patients can lodge complaints with state medical boards if necessary.

Summary of OurPatientRights.com:

The document "6-18-23 Letter and Caregivers and Consent" includes detailed guidelines and templates for communicating patient care preferences, excerpted in part from www.protocolkills.com/patient-documents:

"I, ________________, advise all physicians, nurses, and other caregivers, that this Caregivers and Consent document reflects my current wishes for my care and are carefully planned and intentional wishes. This Caregivers and Consent document also reflects my deeply held religious and spiritual beliefs; please ensure that this Caregivers and Consent document is clearly accessible in the electronic medical records at all times for all of my care providers.

Receipt of this Caregivers and Consent document by the hospital serves as notice that I will report to the Medical Board any physician who violates my carefully planned and intentional wishes that are based upon my deeply held religious and spiritual beliefs and are delineated within this Caregivers and Consent document.

MY CAREFULLY PLANNED AND INTENTIONAL WISHES THAT ARE BASED UPON MY DEEPLY HELD RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL BELIEFS INCLUDE:

I DO NOT CONSENT TO THE USE OF MEDICATIONS WITHOUT MY BEING INFORMED OF EACH MEDICATION’S RISKS, BENEFITS, AND ALTERNATIVES BEFORE THEY ARE ORDERED. Only after that information is communicated shall I choose to either grant consent or to not grant consent for each and every medication that is ordered.

• I DO NOT CONSENT to receiving any vaccine or booster for COVID19 or COVID19 variant.
• I DO NOT CONSENT to receiving the seasonal Flu vaccine.
• I DO NOT CONSENT to receiving the Pneumococcal vaccine.
• I DO NOT CONSENT to receiving ANY vaccination for ANY purpose or disease.
• I DO NOT CONSENT to the use of Remdesivir or Veklury or any drug related to Remdesivir or Veklury under any circumstances.
• I DO NOT CONSENT to the use of Baricitinib, or its brand name Olumiant, for COVID19 or COVID19 variant.
• I REQUEST AND CONSENT to the use of 1mg of Budesonide via nebulizer every 4 to 6 hours for COVID19 or COVID19 variant diagnosis with respiratory issues.
• I DO NOT CONSENT to a ventilator in the case of a COVID19 or COVID19 variant diagnosis."