Sex Offenders Banned From Florida Hospital
Daytona Beach registrants should be up in arms over this one!
A local hospital, Halifax Health, has set up a new system to scan IDs for Sex Offenders. According to this article, “The process will take less than a minute and the system will screen visitors to see if they are on the sexual offender list…Sex offenders will be denied access. Sex offenders and those without a photo ID could be granted an exception to visit dying relatives”
Dying relatives? So your relative has to be dying in order for you to visit someone in the hospital? What if they are your friend? What if they are not dying but really, really, sick?
What’s next?
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I was at Halifax today to see my father that has been diagnosed with brain cancer and lung cancer( terminally ill) and was denied access and escorted off the property by a uniformed police officer like I was a convict. The policy will deny everyone unless you your wife or child is ill and you are the care taker. I want to sue this hospital for the heartlessness and hate they have shown me and my family.
Ken – please send contact information and details to legal@floridaactioncommittee.org
I’m currently bout to be denied access to wife an child because I was convicted over twenty years ago..im a level one sex offender..is this legal? I’m at Tacoma general..mary bridge childrens..please someone respond
Jon – Legally, if it’s a private hospital, it might be legal. Morally and Ethically, it’s BS! Unfortunately, you may have to get an attorney to help get you access. You might want to reach out to Adele Nicholas, who just handled a similar case in IL (http://www.adelenicholas.com/) to see if she has a referral or knows someone in Tacoma. Keep legal@floridaactioncommittee.org in the loop, as we are seeing A LOT of these come up and need to coordinate a global solution.
i thought that there was a notice on the fdle site not to use the information to harass, etc…, wouldn’t this be a violation of that law?
I have 2 big problems with this; one: The Registry is “supposed” to be used primarily by law enforcement and for things like the 12- or 15- hundred foot rule and is part and parcel of what every sex offender’s final disposition is after prison. I was NOT aware that this is something that is to be bruited about for the general public and therefore, I think we make have an issue here regarding Right to Privacy, under the III, IV, V, IX and XIV Amendments, as guaranteed by the Constitution and I would take Halifax Health to task for that. Secondly, because, they ARE a hospital and not a law agency, I do not believe that they can just willy-nilly make up rules because they had a traumatic experience in their building. I worked at the University of Michigan Hospital and a mentally ill patient killed two of the doctors before killing himself. The hospital did not ban all prisoners from it’s grounds after this incident. This is beyond ridiculous and I believe I will write to Halifax Health and tell them so!
Violafury – I encourage you to share these thoughts with customerservice@halifax.org also
Ok first off the sex offender status is not private please see https://www.google.com/#q=nsopr+offender+search anyone has the right to run a search on an individual to see if they are a sex offender. Now if you had a child/wife/loved one in the hospital and they allowed a sexual predator free access to the facility and that person molested or raped them I would bet you would say why did you not screen for sex offenders when you could have. I think that rejecting admission is a bit to far but I would certainly have them escorted while on the premises. They are doing this for the safety of their staff and patients not for kicks or to degrade anyone individual. I suppose you would also object to this happening in a school and if not why the double standard.
People have an urgent, compelling reason to visit a sick child/wife/loved one in the hospital.
If they want to supervise or escort registered citizens, drug offenders, gun offenders, whomever, that’s fine. But to deny a son access to their sick parent or to not allow a father to comfort their child while they are in the hospital is inhumane!
Gerry,
I hear a lot of “ifs”. If a drunk with a gun into the hospital and he caused some problems… I guess we should ban all drunks with guns AND sex offenders. You know, because sex offenders are animals who can’t be stopped. Though, you are tenfold more likely to be “molested and raped” by someone not on the registry. In fact, assuming you’re not on the registry, YOU are more likely to molest or rape than someone who is. This isn’t about safety, and if it is it is flawed.
First they came for the Registered Sex Offenders, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a [Registered] Sex Offender.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
Gerry you’re an idiot and obviously some teenager cop’s daughter who gets off on kicking a man when he is down. This hospital is denying people access for something that may be over 40 years old!! To try and say it makes sense is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.
If any sex offenses have ever occurred at that hospital (or any health care facility, school, or public place for that matter), the overwhelming odds are it was committed by a staff member, not some random SO seeking only to visit a friend or family member.
As rare as it is that registered SOs commit another offense, it’s even rarer that such offenses are committed in public places.
Who is this Gerry Rice? She is drowning in the ‘coolade of false information’. She has been watching too much TV. Everyday I hear something else about sex offenders that is mind blowing. It makes me wonder what planet these ‘mysterians’ are living on. What if, what if, what if…that’s the garbage that some of these folks live on. What if a drunk driver causes an accident and kills someone? Since we can’t outlaw alcohol…tried that already…must we outlaw cars? What if a drug dealers gives a kid free drugs? Do we make it illegal to give away anything for free? What if a home catches on fire and the fire kills someone? Do we make it illegal to live in a home? This kind of stupidity can go on and on. All of these ‘what if’s’ are nothing more than fear mongering including those associated with sex offenders. Nurses, doctors, and security personnel have more opportunity and are more likely to commit a sex offense in a hospital than a sex offender. Do we eliminate nurses, doctors and security personnel from hospitals? Such a suggestion is just as crazy as eliminating a sex offender from visiting a family member or friend. I have never seen such craziness as we are having to experience nowadays!
OMG this is frightening what if they are sick? has there been an incident?
This policy went into effect yesterday, 9/21/15. You might want to reach out to Halifax Health at customerservice@halifax.org to ask them more information. See the letter FAC sent.
so if a sex offender is injured or sick they won’t be admitted, thus ambulances and the helicopter that could possible transport a person to that hospital would be checking to see if the injured or ill person is on the sex offender list?
Doesn’t this hospital receive public funds and funds from colleges for the students to be in their hospital. i do know the colleges do hire employees of the hospital to be the clinical instructor for the programs.
ohh the sex offender registry is not punishment ha what a bunch of bull. until about 3 – 5 million ore on the list as from what i just read currently there are 811,xxx on the hit list
Randy, the policy concerns visitors. How about someone at the hospital if their wife is giving birth? If a loved one was critically injured? Do they need to wait until they are confirmed dying?
I encourage everyone reading this to contact customerservice@halifax.org and ask about this policy. You can copy legal@floridaactioncommittee.org on your correspondence.
You make an EXCELLENT point about getting public funds. That’s something to look into.
The following is being sent from FAC to the hospital:
Halifax Health, Inc.
Attn: Jeff Feasel
303 N. Clyde Morris Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
RE: NEW VISITOR ID SYSTEM
Dear Mr. Feasel:
I am writing concerning your new Visitor ID System and with specific regard to your policy of denying access to registered sex offenders.
According to an article that appeared in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, your representative, David Hall, indicated that the new ID system will screen for registered sex offenders and deny them access to visit patients, except that they “could be granted an exception to visit dying relatives.”
I am writing to request additional information about this new policy. Specifically;
What if the registered citizen is the spouse, child, parent or caregiver of a patient in your hospital? For example; would you not permit a parent to visit their hospitalized child?
What do you consider “dying” in order to obtain an exception? Would “seriously injured” be considered “dying” or would it require absolutely no possibility of recovery? Would a registrant require certification from one of your doctors that their loved one is dying before being granted an exception, or could they bring in a third party to verify?
Will you be turning away everyone convicted of a criminal offense or just sex offenders? The article mentioned that the occurrence that prompted this new policy was an “incident in which armed 20-year-old … blasted his way into Halifax Health … and then shot and killed himself in front of a nurse and her patient.” The assailant in that case was not a previously registered sex offender, but was drunk. Naturally you will be denying entry to anyone with a firearm related offense, drug or alcohol conviction, correct?
I look forward to receiving your response.
Sincerely,
Gail Colletta, President
Did you even get a reply back from the Hospital ??. I was denied entry last night to be with my Daughter during the birth of my Grandson !!. My First Grandbaby !!!!. A experience that can NEVER be replaced !!!. I’m wanting to sue this Hospital for this and would love any help with finding a Lawyer to do it. I believe that if a Business receives Public Funding, Then The “Public” Can’t be Denied Access !!. This has caused so much pain and hurt. My daughter begged and cried for me and I couldn’t be there because my name and photo was on a “Registery” !!! So I was PUNISHED for my past !! But punished non the less !!. And so was my Daughter AND my Grandbaby !!!. Anyone that says the Registery isn’t Punishment, Is absolutely INSANE !!!.
We did not receive any reply.
You may want to pursue a legal challenge.
Will the ACLU help me ?? Or can you refer any Lawyers that will work with me ?? Don’t have lots of money to hire a lawyer. Thx.
You would need to ask or call your local legal aid office.
I would like to know how this hospital will deal with parents who are registered citizens and the care of their minor children or registrants who are the care givers for elderly parents. Will they be refused health care or only given health care if they are dying???
The text of the article indicates that they will only be screening visitors. Refusing to administer health care would most certainly be a violation of the hippocratic oath, and I know of some hospital health care providers that have been fired for refusing to provide services to an SO because of their registrant status. The hospital would not do that.
Of course, if they did, then we would really get a nice national debate over registrants.