I thought I would share this with you, because you are a medical professional. This is what happened to me as a result of me advocating for my health concerns to staff and an organization that is suppose to help people.
As an individual that studying and planning to enter into the field to help people I find it disgusting the people who claim to be professionals would treat someone like this.
Further more, I was arrested under the mental health act because I was dispondant with regards to my experience. At St Paul’s Hospital emergency department I was in handcuffs and was in the company of 3 Vancouver Police and hospital security, when the emergency room doctor came to talk to me, I told him to basicly f-off. I later told the same doctor I would kick him if he did not leave me alone.
The probably if me being able to do this was not possible with e being in handcuffs and having police officers and security around me. I was extremely under mental and emotional stress at the time because of my situation, which is described in my detailed letter to the Prime Minister, Premier Christy Clark and others.
I thougth doctors were suppose to have the patient’s care/health as their main concern. And put aside their own personal views and opinions and help the patient to the best of their ability. I was not helped or my heath concerns addressed at all. Instead the doctor told the police to charge me with uttering threats. I was strapped to a hospital bed held over night and sedated, only to be released the next morning back out onto the streets (homeless,) with major cardiac concerns, mental health concerns as well.
All this happened because I was advocating for my health issues that were important at the time. I have read some of your blog/posts an believe you are a true doctor who takes the concerns of people health seriously, and not worried about your ego.
Please read the attached letter to the Prime Minister and Premier Clark over what I think is a disgusting treatment of an individual. Please share this with others in your profession, to highlight the non-professional behaviour of some in your profession.
I have already received replies to people I emailed my shared experience, including the Mayor of Vancouver’s office. This type of treatment has to stop.
Daniel Pressello
Address: Homeless
December 10, 2015
To: Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,
The Government of Canada
CC: Honourable Carla Qualtrough
Minister of Sport and Person’s with Disabilities
Honourable Jane Philpott
Minister of Health
The Honourable Christy Clark
Premier of the Province of British Columbia
**Note: if you are a person/organization that has received this email and have donated to Look Out Aid Society Homeless Shelters, I just wanted to share my experience and how your generous donations help me.**
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
I personally wrote to you requesting to connect with you through the social networking site LinkedIn, which you accepted. You at the time of my writing to you were the federal leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. In my email to you I expressed my passion, desire and activities in promoting diversity and multiculturalism. I stated in my email this “A country is strongest, when her people recognize that it is our differences that make us stronger as a whole.”
We share many similar connections through LinkedIn. I have written more than 125 articles on LinkedIn promoting the philosophy that we must accept individuals with all their past, with all their wrong doings, with all their mistakes, with all their differences, if we are to expect them to accept to accept the same of us. My one of my latest articles titled “Muslims Are Changing the World, Here Are Some That Did It Right.” received 85 views with 16 likes and 6 comments. In that article I listed several Muslims who have made great contributions to society in many countries. I only mention this and my reference to the 125 articles I have written, so that you may witness for yourself, how I am trying to make a positive and contributing effort in benefiting our society.
I am currently trying to obtain enough credits to graduate with my degree in BSW in social work, but currently I am unable to continue my studies for the simple reason I am homeless. Why am I homeless you, are probably wondering? If I am connected to the Prime Minister of the country and have many shared connections out of the over 6,600 connections I have on LinkedIn, how can I possibly be homeless.
Now the real reason I am writing you and the other Honourable Members of your government, is because this is Canada and I believe in my country and I believe in your message of hope to so many Canadians in this last election. And the experience I am about to tell you of should not happen to anyone in this great country of ours. The federal government of our country contributes millions of dollars to provinces to assist people in many cities and communities, in so many good ways after all this is Canada and helping your neighbours is the Canadian way.
So has you and your family get ready to celebrate the holiday season, I am bouncing around from homeless shelter to homeless shelter. Because the system I believe in and want to be a part of, in helping people is flawed and nobody seems to care.
Here is my experience of homelessness. December of 2014 I had a heart attack, I was in the hospital for depression over this heart attack (was having suicidal ideology,) at the time. While I was in the hospital my landlord threw you everything I own, all my clothes, my computer, my printer and even my cat onto the sidewalk. My rent was paid, so there was no issue of rent payment. I had no where to go, because all the beds in shelters at that time were full. So I spent three nights sleeping on the street, and yes it did effect my heart greatly.
After three days sleeping on the streets, I was able to obtain a bed in a shelter (Look Out Aid Society’s North Shore Shelter in the city of North Vancouver.) The very first night at this shelter I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance because of chest pain. An electrode cardio gram was preformed, and the results compared to an early examine. I was immediately admitted over night and had minor heart surgery the next morning. The minor surgery I had was having a metal stent place in a block artery. I had 3 partially blocked arteries and one artery 100% blocked.
I was returned to the shelter a two days later after surgery. While at the shelter I helped in the kitchen, help other clients write resumes and cover letters and I even help a gentleman file his tax returns online, so he could receive his 3 months of back payment of GST benefits. Five times after my first visit to the hospital for surgery I was taken by ambulance again to the hospital because of chest pain. Each time I had to call the ambulance myself, even though emergency medical (911 operators,) stated I should be sitting down. I was given a nitro spray bottle and was told by cardiologist and emergency room doctors to buy baby aspirin (81mg) in the event of experiencing chest pain tin the future I was told take two aspirin immediately and chew them. (all medication is to be given to shelter staff even aspirin.) Each time I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance I had to ask staff to please give me two aspirin, each time I was refused these aspirin by staff. Twice emergency medical personal 911 operators and a BC Ambulance paramedic argued with staff at the shelter about me being denied these aspirin. The staff would always tell the emergency medical personal I already took aspirin in the morning and I was not authorized by a doctor to take more aspirin, each time I had further chest pain in the afternoon or evening, it was always hours later after I took the aspirin in the morning.
Now here is where it gets interesting, this shelter run by (Look Out Aid Society,) is a harm reduction shelter. Staff will keep in the staff area client’s choice of substance the client uses/abuses and freely give it back to the clients when a client asks for their bottle of booze back. These clients can be high, or drunk, and freely given their booze back by staff to go outside and continue you to drink. While I was there several times an ambulance had to be called for a couple of female clients, because they were so drunk and still drinking, that staff was concerned of alcohol poisoning. Each time that a person was drunk or high these clients would cause problems with staff and other clients shouting, yelling, using abusive foul language, threating other clients etc.
The reason I mention this is because the only time I yelled at anybody at the shelter or used inappropriate language was toward staff members when I was having and experiencing chest pain and was in need of emergency medical care, and they would deny this care to me. As a result of my frustration and venting my anger toward staff at my emergency medical needs not being properly address I was kicked out of the shelter in the middle of winter (January 2015,) with a well documented heart condition…remember I had to have minor heart surgery my first night staying at the shelter. The reason for kicking me out, was I was told I was abusive toward staff. Yes, I yelled at staff, yes I threatened to file a complaint against the shelter and individual staff members with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal for discrimination. With no staff members taking my health concerns serious and only continuing to enable other clients with willing giving them access to their booze, I was upset. All I was asking for was baby aspirin in the event of me having another heart attack and I was denied this medical treatment several times.
I have medical documentation of my surgery and medical documentation of being seen and cared for by two health authorities, two cardiologists and documentation from BC Ambulance Service of needing to be transported to hospital emergency rooms on five different occasions, due to chest pain. Even with all this medical documentation and full knowledge of staff and the Look Out Aid Society organization, I am being denied access to their shelters and services, because I am still homeless and in need of services, all this refusal of care and service because exercised my rights and I filed a complaint with the BC Human Rights Tribunal.
Why am I still homeless you may ask, because I can not get the required deposit for landlords through social assistance/disability. The reason being is because I have to outstanding deposits that were already given to me and they will not issue another one. Why do I have to outstanding deposits, because when I was in the hospital the first time and my landlord threw out on the sidewalk all my property, she refused to give me my entitled deposit back. I got a second deposit from social assistance/disability and gave it to another landlord to hold the place for me. When I changed my mind about moving into his house (two weeks before the beginning of the next month, when I was to move in,) because I didn’t feel it was a good environment for my health concerns, he to refused to give me my entitled deposit back.
Social Assistance tells me that is an issue between the landlords and myself and they will not issue me any more security deposits until I have paid back the first two. Yes, that’s right I am being forced to pay back security deposits that landlords refused to return to me. The British Columbia residential Tenancy Board has told me I am entitled to my deposits back from those two landlords, but here is the process. I am first to write to these landlords provide them with my new address and these landlords have 15 days to respond (give me the security deposits back,) if they do not do this the Tenancy Board will file proceeding to get my deposits back. These procedures take time. I need my security deposit money back now so I can get a new place to live. The first part of me providing an address is impossible at time because I am still homeless with no address to give.
I just thought you might like to know Mr. Prime Minister, that things are not always as that appear to be, should be. People and organizations making claims about helping, truly helping people when they are in need, is a fallacy. Social Assistance/disability being a safety net for those that need assistance is again a fallacy, they don’t care that there are unsavoury landlords out in society taking advantage of low income earners, people with health concerns, seniors. The city, province and the federal levels of governments are all aware of some of these landlords, with scams like Reno-evicts. But they fail to do something.
Please enjoy your Christmas Mr. Prime Minister, you’ve had a great year and you deserve to celebrate.
Dear Dr. Webb
I thought I would share this with you, because you are a medical professional. This is what happened to me as a result of me advocating for my health concerns to staff and an organization that is suppose to help people.
As an individual that studying and planning to enter into the field to help people I find it disgusting the people who claim to be professionals would treat someone like this.
Further more, I was arrested under the mental health act because I was dispondant with regards to my experience. At St Paul’s Hospital emergency department I was in handcuffs and was in the company of 3 Vancouver Police and hospital security, when the emergency room doctor came to talk to me, I told him to basicly f-off. I later told the same doctor I would kick him if he did not leave me alone.
The probably if me being able to do this was not possible with e being in handcuffs and having police officers and security around me. I was extremely under mental and emotional stress at the time because of my situation, which is described in my detailed letter to the Prime Minister, Premier Christy Clark and others.
I thougth doctors were suppose to have the patient’s care/health as their main concern. And put aside their own personal views and opinions and help the patient to the best of their ability. I was not helped or my heath concerns addressed at all. Instead the doctor told the police to charge me with uttering threats. I was strapped to a hospital bed held over night and sedated, only to be released the next morning back out onto the streets (homeless,) with major cardiac concerns, mental health concerns as well.
All this happened because I was advocating for my health issues that were important at the time. I have read some of your blog/posts an believe you are a true doctor who takes the concerns of people health seriously, and not worried about your ego.
Please read the attached letter to the Prime Minister and Premier Clark over what I think is a disgusting treatment of an individual. Please share this with others in your profession, to highlight the non-professional behaviour of some in your profession.
I have already received replies to people I emailed my shared experience, including the Mayor of Vancouver’s office. This type of treatment has to stop.
Daniel Pressello
Address: Homeless
December 10, 2015
To: Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,
The Government of Canada
CC: Honourable Carla Qualtrough
Minister of Sport and Person’s with Disabilities
Honourable Jane Philpott
Minister of Health
The Honourable Christy Clark
Premier of the Province of British Columbia
**Note: if you are a person/organization that has received this email and have donated to Look Out Aid Society Homeless Shelters, I just wanted to share my experience and how your generous donations help me.**
Dear Mr. Prime Minister,
I personally wrote to you requesting to connect with you through the social networking site LinkedIn, which you accepted. You at the time of my writing to you were the federal leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. In my email to you I expressed my passion, desire and activities in promoting diversity and multiculturalism. I stated in my email this “A country is strongest, when her people recognize that it is our differences that make us stronger as a whole.”
We share many similar connections through LinkedIn. I have written more than 125 articles on LinkedIn promoting the philosophy that we must accept individuals with all their past, with all their wrong doings, with all their mistakes, with all their differences, if we are to expect them to accept to accept the same of us. My one of my latest articles titled “Muslims Are Changing the World, Here Are Some That Did It Right.” received 85 views with 16 likes and 6 comments. In that article I listed several Muslims who have made great contributions to society in many countries. I only mention this and my reference to the 125 articles I have written, so that you may witness for yourself, how I am trying to make a positive and contributing effort in benefiting our society.
I am currently trying to obtain enough credits to graduate with my degree in BSW in social work, but currently I am unable to continue my studies for the simple reason I am homeless. Why am I homeless you, are probably wondering? If I am connected to the Prime Minister of the country and have many shared connections out of the over 6,600 connections I have on LinkedIn, how can I possibly be homeless.
Now the real reason I am writing you and the other Honourable Members of your government, is because this is Canada and I believe in my country and I believe in your message of hope to so many Canadians in this last election. And the experience I am about to tell you of should not happen to anyone in this great country of ours. The federal government of our country contributes millions of dollars to provinces to assist people in many cities and communities, in so many good ways after all this is Canada and helping your neighbours is the Canadian way.
So has you and your family get ready to celebrate the holiday season, I am bouncing around from homeless shelter to homeless shelter. Because the system I believe in and want to be a part of, in helping people is flawed and nobody seems to care.
Here is my experience of homelessness. December of 2014 I had a heart attack, I was in the hospital for depression over this heart attack (was having suicidal ideology,) at the time. While I was in the hospital my landlord threw you everything I own, all my clothes, my computer, my printer and even my cat onto the sidewalk. My rent was paid, so there was no issue of rent payment. I had no where to go, because all the beds in shelters at that time were full. So I spent three nights sleeping on the street, and yes it did effect my heart greatly.
After three days sleeping on the streets, I was able to obtain a bed in a shelter (Look Out Aid Society’s North Shore Shelter in the city of North Vancouver.) The very first night at this shelter I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance because of chest pain. An electrode cardio gram was preformed, and the results compared to an early examine. I was immediately admitted over night and had minor heart surgery the next morning. The minor surgery I had was having a metal stent place in a block artery. I had 3 partially blocked arteries and one artery 100% blocked.
I was returned to the shelter a two days later after surgery. While at the shelter I helped in the kitchen, help other clients write resumes and cover letters and I even help a gentleman file his tax returns online, so he could receive his 3 months of back payment of GST benefits. Five times after my first visit to the hospital for surgery I was taken by ambulance again to the hospital because of chest pain. Each time I had to call the ambulance myself, even though emergency medical (911 operators,) stated I should be sitting down. I was given a nitro spray bottle and was told by cardiologist and emergency room doctors to buy baby aspirin (81mg) in the event of experiencing chest pain tin the future I was told take two aspirin immediately and chew them. (all medication is to be given to shelter staff even aspirin.) Each time I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance I had to ask staff to please give me two aspirin, each time I was refused these aspirin by staff. Twice emergency medical personal 911 operators and a BC Ambulance paramedic argued with staff at the shelter about me being denied these aspirin. The staff would always tell the emergency medical personal I already took aspirin in the morning and I was not authorized by a doctor to take more aspirin, each time I had further chest pain in the afternoon or evening, it was always hours later after I took the aspirin in the morning.
Now here is where it gets interesting, this shelter run by (Look Out Aid Society,) is a harm reduction shelter. Staff will keep in the staff area client’s choice of substance the client uses/abuses and freely give it back to the clients when a client asks for their bottle of booze back. These clients can be high, or drunk, and freely given their booze back by staff to go outside and continue you to drink. While I was there several times an ambulance had to be called for a couple of female clients, because they were so drunk and still drinking, that staff was concerned of alcohol poisoning. Each time that a person was drunk or high these clients would cause problems with staff and other clients shouting, yelling, using abusive foul language, threating other clients etc.
The reason I mention this is because the only time I yelled at anybody at the shelter or used inappropriate language was toward staff members when I was having and experiencing chest pain and was in need of emergency medical care, and they would deny this care to me. As a result of my frustration and venting my anger toward staff at my emergency medical needs not being properly address I was kicked out of the shelter in the middle of winter (January 2015,) with a well documented heart condition…remember I had to have minor heart surgery my first night staying at the shelter. The reason for kicking me out, was I was told I was abusive toward staff. Yes, I yelled at staff, yes I threatened to file a complaint against the shelter and individual staff members with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal for discrimination. With no staff members taking my health concerns serious and only continuing to enable other clients with willing giving them access to their booze, I was upset. All I was asking for was baby aspirin in the event of me having another heart attack and I was denied this medical treatment several times.
I have medical documentation of my surgery and medical documentation of being seen and cared for by two health authorities, two cardiologists and documentation from BC Ambulance Service of needing to be transported to hospital emergency rooms on five different occasions, due to chest pain. Even with all this medical documentation and full knowledge of staff and the Look Out Aid Society organization, I am being denied access to their shelters and services, because I am still homeless and in need of services, all this refusal of care and service because exercised my rights and I filed a complaint with the BC Human Rights Tribunal.
Why am I still homeless you may ask, because I can not get the required deposit for landlords through social assistance/disability. The reason being is because I have to outstanding deposits that were already given to me and they will not issue another one. Why do I have to outstanding deposits, because when I was in the hospital the first time and my landlord threw out on the sidewalk all my property, she refused to give me my entitled deposit back. I got a second deposit from social assistance/disability and gave it to another landlord to hold the place for me. When I changed my mind about moving into his house (two weeks before the beginning of the next month, when I was to move in,) because I didn’t feel it was a good environment for my health concerns, he to refused to give me my entitled deposit back.
Social Assistance tells me that is an issue between the landlords and myself and they will not issue me any more security deposits until I have paid back the first two. Yes, that’s right I am being forced to pay back security deposits that landlords refused to return to me. The British Columbia residential Tenancy Board has told me I am entitled to my deposits back from those two landlords, but here is the process. I am first to write to these landlords provide them with my new address and these landlords have 15 days to respond (give me the security deposits back,) if they do not do this the Tenancy Board will file proceeding to get my deposits back. These procedures take time. I need my security deposit money back now so I can get a new place to live. The first part of me providing an address is impossible at time because I am still homeless with no address to give.
I just thought you might like to know Mr. Prime Minister, that things are not always as that appear to be, should be. People and organizations making claims about helping, truly helping people when they are in need, is a fallacy. Social Assistance/disability being a safety net for those that need assistance is again a fallacy, they don’t care that there are unsavoury landlords out in society taking advantage of low income earners, people with health concerns, seniors. The city, province and the federal levels of governments are all aware of some of these landlords, with scams like Reno-evicts. But they fail to do something.
Please enjoy your Christmas Mr. Prime Minister, you’ve had a great year and you deserve to celebrate.
Wish I could say the same,
Daniel Pressello
dpressello@hotmail.com