Also see Doctors, especially Dr. Rea.
See also MCS Hospital Protocol.
The Healthier Hospitals book is approximately 30 pages and is a Comprehensive Guide to Assist in the Medical Care of the Patient with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) Disability. Send copies to your hospital administrator and physicians today! Keep one with your essentials in case of an emergency. View/Print the sample cover letter to a hospital administrator. Learn more by reading the information below.
Order your own copy(s) of Healthier Hospitals now by contacting the N.E.E.D.S. catalog folk at 1(800)634-1380.
As part of the upcoming national *Healthier Hospitals on the Horizon Campaign*, a new book entitled 'HEALTHIER HOSPITALS' has been written by the combined efforts of author Toni Temple (an MCS victim) and two greater Cleveland, Ohio, area hospitals. It is a 28 page book which is a comprehensive guide to assist in the medical care of the patient with Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS) disability. The purpose of the book is to educate hospital administration, staff and medical personal on proper care and consideration for the special needs of MCS patients. It is expected that it will improve access issues for those hospital patients who suffer from this disability.
The book comes with a sample letter to Hospitals on MCS accommodation which can be customized and mailed to your local hospitals and doctors with copies of the book. To download a .txt copy of the sample cover letter, select text letter.
Your ideas are essential in making this national campaign successful. Our goal is to educate all hospital administration and personnel in the United States about the needs of those with MCS disability.
One of the campaign plans is to set aside one special day for MCS recognition. We need your thoughts on what we can all *do* on this day to make a difference across the nation. For example, on the day of the *Great American Smoke-Out*, the thing to do is to not smoke. In *Hands Across America* people join hands. What credible, non-disrupting educational thing can we all do on the assigned day? Suggestions made to date include everyone phoning groups such as the American Medical Association or National Hospital Association on that day. Perhaps we can all deliver out hospitals a *symbol* of MCS on that day? If so, what kind of symbol? We also need to *invent* an insignia of MCS so that we can have *stickers* made up to post on medical emergency card identification, etc. which would promptly identify MCS.
Any other *actions*, *ideas*, or *thoughts* you may have to better implement this campaign are very welcome. For a copy of the campaign goals, send a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) to the Ohio Network for the Chemically Injured, P.O. Box 29290, Parma, Ohio 44129.
The best suggestions for each category will be utilized for the campaign. The winners will receive a complimentary copy of Healthier Hospitals as well as deep satisfaction in knowing they have made a heartfelt contribution in helping all of those with MCS.
Volunteers are needed in each city to ensure that all hospitals are contacted for this meaningful campaign. We hope you will be the representative for your city. ONFCI will keep a registry file of all hospitals contacted and provide it to the National Coalition for the Chemically Injured, our new national organization, endorsing this campaign as one of its first projects. Send the name of all hospitals you contact to ONFCI. Be sure to include the name of the hospital administrator or chief executive officer and the name and address of each hospital you educate about MCS. You may also send us copies of any campaign newspaper articles and letters you receive from the hospitals. This information may be used for future publicity and educational purposes. Please contact ONFCI if you have any questions.
For your information, there is apparently an initial draft copy of New Mexico's *911 Emergency Medical Response for MCS* procedures written by Dr. Ann McCampbell. This will be integrated into the Healthier Hospital Campaign as well.
Copies of the campaign outline and strategy will be available soon. You can receive a set of these materials by sending an 8-1/2 x 11 self addressed stamped (3 stamps in US) envelope to the ONFCI.
A few personal remarks: I don't know about you, the person who is reading this, but I've had my share of what I laughingly call my *911 nights* when I'm extremely sick and don't dare call 911 since they could kill me for sure! Right now there are only one or two hospitals in the country which are safe for the chemically injured (I hear that one is Dr. Rea's). I feel this campaign is extremely important and should be supported by all of us. I had a doctor tell me once that if I had to go to the emergency room, not to wear a mask and not to tell them I am chemically sensitive since they'd just think I was crazy and refuse to treat me. I can pull that off at the Department of Motor Vehicles (and then go home to bed for a week), but I'd prefer not to be afraid of going to a hospital. I asked a medical professional if there was even one doctor in this county, who is associated with the local hospitals, who would know enough not to kill me in an emergency. The answer was no. Let's get to work, friend. By the way, my driver's license picture looks a bit like I'm holding my breath. This campaign needs to be approached in a *win-win* frame of mind. Toni, the author of the book, with her hospital, has established a *safe* room in Emergency. Way to go!
These listings have been gathered from various sources and are presented here with the intent to provide hard won information to anyone whom it may help. If you find that the names, phone numbers, addresses or such are out of date in any way, or you feel there is a significant change or addition which should be made to these resources, please be so kind as to Contact Us.
Disclaimer: We do not endorse people, products or services. We do not give medical advice. What works for one person does not necessarily work for another. Please check with health-care professionals of your own choice. I am not a doctor and I do not give medical advice. The author is a chemically injured person who is extremely chemically sensitive (reactive) and who has just had a lot of personal experience in trying to survive chemical insults and toxic exposures.