Carolinas Medical Center/ Carolinas Health Care System has been previously sued on numerous occasions by several African-American families for Racist Medical practices leading to premature, medically preventable deaths.
Many of those lawsuits were quietly settled with families of those Black patients who died due to intentional improper care or NEGLIGENCE.
Such lawsuits and bad reputation is the reason why Carolinas Medical Center/ Carolinas Health Care System now exist instead of Charlotte Memorial Hospital, the old CMC.
Thus its safe to say Carolinas Medical Center and Charlotte Memorial Hospital are one in the same.
How do I know this?
I always do my research and I talk to people personally affected by what I post on my Blog.
People will tell me things they might not disclose to the Charlotte Observer because the Charlotte Observer has a history of practicing Biased reporting and Discrimination in its publication of articles.
Kenneth Jermaine Chapman was an African-American Charlotte citizen who recently killed three members of his family and later himself.
Prior to his destructive actions he desperately sought Mental Health Care assistance from Charlotte's Carolinas Medical Center.
In fact he sent out an S.O.S. which was intentionally ignored.
Mr. Chapman clearly, verbally expressed to CMC Staff he had thoughts of hurting others and killing himself.
Did CMC Staff report his thoughts to Charlotte DSS even though they knew this man had minor children in the home?
NO!
They didn't give a darn because Ken Chapman was Black and wasn't an affluent citizen.
Now if Ken Chapman had connections with an Affluent, Politically-connected Black Charlotte citizen, than of course they may have taken Mr. Chapman's situation more seriously, but because he was just a poor Black man they didn't give a darn!
The result?
A Black Man who killed his wife, two of his children and than later himself.
If you think Jennifer Roberts (board chair) and the other Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Commissioners are seriously concerned about this matter or seriously concerned about investigating Mr. Chapman's case...DON'T BET ON IT!
If you think Charlotte's weak, scared Black Leaders are going to speak up...DON'T BET ON IT!
The only two Charlotte-Meck. County Commissioners who do really care, Harold Cogdell Jr. & Vilma Leak (both African-Americans) will be blocked from doing anything constructive by Jennifer Roberts (board chair), "Ms. N.C. Corruption" herself.
This tragic incident helps to further demonstrate how Racism is deeply woven into all facets and levels of Charlotte, NC's community, including the Health Care System.
Charlotte's other main Medical Center, Presbyterian Hospital isn't much better.
Its a private facility where Blacks go in but don't come out.
Presbyterian Hospital also has a long history of Black Patients needlessly dying but that's a story for another day.
As I was saying Carolinas Medical Center's staff intentionally did NOT prevent Mr. Chapman's death, nor did they help protect his family however.....
I'll bet Mr. Chapman's surviving relatives receive a huge bill for his so-called "treatment".
In fact thousands upon thousands of African-Americans within the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Region have Carolinas Medical Center Medical Bills on their Credit Reports.
Many of those bills are decades old.
Many of those bills are due to Billing errors from Carolinas Medical Center.
Many of those bills are due to Carolinas Medical Center INTENTIONALLY overbilling Black patients.
How does Carolinas Medical Center skirt Federal Law as it relates to Medical Bills which are older than 7 years old?
Carolinas Medical Center pays Equifax, Experian and Trans Union Credit Reporting agencies to sell those old Medical bill accounts to Debt Collectors, who create new account numbers for those decades old bills and continue screwing up the Credit Ratings for hundreds of thousands of North Carolina's Black citizens.
Is this really Racism you ask??
Yes!
For White Patients treated by Carolinas Medical Center staff everything is handled entirely different.
White Patients who visit Carolinas Medical Center for treatment receive proper care regardless of their situation and...
They aren't intentionally overcharged, neither are their Credit Reports damaged even if they don't possess Medical Insurance because NOT every White patient has Private Medical Insurance, just like there are many Black patients treated at CMC who DO possess Private Medical Insurance.
I'd say its time for the Federal Gov't including the FTC, to take a look at how Carolina Medical Center intentionally provides inadequate treatment to its Black patients, how they consistently & intentionally overbill Black patients and how they are paying big bucks to 3 major Credit Reporting agencies (mainly Equifax) for the sole purpose of selling Medical Bill Accounts which are decades old to Debt Collectors.
Just watch the Levine Family, old Charlotte money and one of Carolinas Medical Center/ Carolinas Health Care System largest contributors, use their big bucks to help defend CMC in any possible lawsuit.
The Levine Family is Charlotte's "Savior".
They often come to Charlotte's aid in a crisis however ONLY after the crisis occurs.
They run Charlotte's so-called Leaders including Jennifer Roberts and Anthony Foxx.
The Levines are most likely indirectly involved in most of Charlotte's Racist activities being carried out however, because they are super rich everyone is afraid of them.
If Ken Chapman were a White Man residing in Charlotte, NC neither he nor his family members would be dead today.
Or at least his family members would be alive today.
Both Carolinas Medical Center/ Carolinas Health Care System, Charlotte DSS and quite possibly the Levine Family are ALL legally Responsible for the Chapman Family's death stemming from total NEGLIGENCE.
If I were related to Mr. Chapman's family I would most definitely SUE and demand a Federal Probe to be conducted.
Sadly enough Kenneth Jermaine Chapman's relatives are probably uneducated or too afraid of Charlotte's Racist, Unfair systems to take legal action.
Charlotte's Racist, Scared Leaders know this which is why nothing will probably change.
Check out the videos and articles below which helps to support my post on this subject.
Ken Chapman Sought Mental Health Treatment Before Killing Family
The beds in the county's psychiatric ward at Carolinas Medical Center-Randolph have been at capacity for a year and a half.
There were more than 1,200 visits to CMC-Randolph's emergency room in February alone.
One of those who came for help just last month, according to the Charlotte Observer, was Ken Chapman. Then, last week, police discovered Chapman killed his wife, two children and then himself.
The mental health director of the hospital said she could not talk about Chapman or any other patient.
"There are very strict confidentiality laws that prohibit us from ever acknowledging that someone has gotten mental health treatment," said Grayce Crockett.
The Observer says medical records from March 16 indicate Chapman did visit the emergency room and was asked on a form why he had come in that day. "Harm someone," the Observer says Chapman wrote.
The Observer says Chapman was later given medication for depression and anxiety and left. Later that day is when police believe he killed members of his family.
Speaking only in general terms, Crockett said sometimes people who come in for help change their mind about needing that help.
"The emergency room physician has to make their best judgment at the time, based on what the individual is telling them," Crockett said.
Jennifer Roberts, chairwoman of the Mecklenburg County Commission, said the county is providing better psychiatric help than many other counties, even though the budget has suffered a $5 million cut from the state in the current fiscal year.
"In the coming fiscal year, we really want to tell the state please don't take any more away," Roberts said.
Hours Before Family Killings, Chapman Was Treated At Carolinas Medical Center Hospital
Carolinas Medical Center will review how it handled the treatment of a man who sought help at the hospital just hours before he killed three family members.
The probe, announced by county commissioners Chair Jennifer Roberts, came as relatives, other county officials and mental health advocates said authorities should take a closer look at the case.
On Tuesday, commissioners met behind closed doors to discuss how the hospital - run by Carolinas HealthCare System - handles patients who show up threatening to hurt themselves or somebody else.
It was unclear Tuesday night how closely commissioners examined the case of Kenny Chapman, a package handler who twice sought help at the hospital but still went on to kill his wife, two daughters and himself.
Roberts told the Observer of the review after Tuesday's meeting.
Scott White, a spokesman for the hospital system, could not be reached Tuesday.
Shortly after 2 a.m. on March 16, Chapman went to Mecklenburg's mental health center and wrote in a questionnaire that he was thinking of killing his wife. Around 6 a.m., he was given medication for anxiety and depression and released.
Later that day, police say, Chapman killed his wife, teenage stepdaughter and toddler.
"He was aware that he was unstable and that was a cry for help, which nobody recognized - not even the professionals," Chapman's stepfather, James Cosby, said Tuesday.
Authorities "need to re-evaluate the situation," he said earlier Tuesday.
The Observer detailed in a Sunday article Chapman's attempts to get help at Carolinas Medical Center-Randolph on Billingsley Road, where he told staff he was having thoughts about hurting - even killing - his wife.
Police say Chapman killed his wife, Nateesha, and daughtersNa'Jhae, 13, and Nakyiah, 1, on the same day of his second visit to the hospital. CMC provides mental health services under a $16 million contract with the county.
Area Mental Health Director Grayce Crockett met with commissioners Tuesday but would not talk publicly about the Chapman case because of confidentiality laws.
Generally, she said, the county - and possibly the state - investigates cases in which a person who has been treated at the hospital goes on to harm himself or somebody else. She said the county could also investigate whether protected health information has been released, and try to identify the source of that information.
But the public isn't likely to learn the results of such investigations, because Crockett says officials consider the information private. Roberts said Tuesday night that commissioners could get information about the case, but she wasn't sure how much they could disclose to the public.
Last week, Crockett told the Observer: "It is very difficult to determine imminent risk with someone ... (and) whether or not they will take action on thoughts or feelings that they have."
She also said the county has "expectations of our providers that they provide competent and quality services."
Records show that during Chapman's second hospital visit, he told staff that he could refrain from harming anyone.
Independent mental health advocates also have raised questions about what happened in Chapman's case.
The fact that Chapman appears to have gone to the hospital on the day of the killings is "quite alarming," says Ellis Fields, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Central Carolinas.
"You just wonder what went wrong in the system, and that's just something that the system will have to address," Fields said.
Commissioner Bill James said he wants some answers.
"Given the severity of this and the fact that it's so closely tied to the question of whether someone got adequate treatment, I think we should know whether the mental health authority that has this contract did the right thing," James said.
Commissioner George Dunlap said earlier Tuesday that he was hesitant to call for an investigation into the Chapman case.
"Certainly I think that if the family feels that he was misdiagnosed and their loved ones died as a result of that, they can take the legal action," Dunlap said.
"I'm not one for digging into stuff just to know."
Charlotte Police Say Chapman Girl Kept Family Murders Secret To Protect Her Brother
Police say a 10-year-old kept the murders of her mother and siblings a secret for two weeks because she feared that her father might kill her and her 2-year-old brother.
Police didn't find out about the murders until Monday night, when a relative called 911 and asked police to check on the Chapman family.
Police say 33-year-old Kenneth Chapman shot himself in the head after firing gunshots at officers when they arrived at his apartment on Providence Square Drive.
Once officers went inside, they found the bodies of Chapman's 1-year-old daughter and 13-year-old stepdaughter inside a bedroom.
Police found the children's mother, 34-year-old Nateesha Chapman, at another apartment on Via Romano Drive.
Late Tuesday afternoon, the Mecklenburg County medical examiner said that Nateesha Chapman and the 1-year-old had been suffocated. Kenneth Chapman's 13-year-old stepdaughter was stabbed to death.
Chapman spared the lives of two children -- a 10-year-old girl and 2-year-old boy.
"At one point, he held a gun to her head, to the 10-year-old's head, and she said, 'Don't kill me.' And he told her, 'I'm not going to kill you because you're my firstborn daughter.' And the son, the 2-year-old, is his firstborn son," said Capt. Paul Zinkann with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Kenneth and Nateesha Chapman moved to Charlotte nine months ago from West Virginia.
They were in between apartments when a neighbor said that he heard a loud argument at the Via Romano Drive location two weeks ago. That's when police think that Kenneth Chapman killed his wife and shortly thereafter killed his stepdaughter and 1-year-old daughter.
"It's difficult for everyone. We all have children," Zinkann said.
The wife was left at the old apartment. The children were sealed up in the bedroom of their Providence Square Drive apartment.
When they were killed, their 10-year-old sister heard gunshots and suspected the worst, but kept it to herself to protect her 2-year-old brother.
"Her bravery and composure was truly remarkable," Zinkann said. "She and her little brother are with family members and are being cared for now."
Police believe the family members were killed around March 15. On March 19, Chapman posted what appeared to be a suicide reference on his Facebook page. A friend called 911 to get police to check on him.
"He called me Tuesday. He actually told me to check the news in a few days -- that he was going to be famous," the 911 caller said. "I guess he was talking about suicide. He told me on Facebook today, this morning. He sent out personal goodbye messages."
Police stopped by the Via Romano Drive apartment to perform a welfare check.
"They checked the residence. No one appeared to be inside," Zinkann said. "It looked like a semi-vacant apartment to the officers that responded on that afternoon."
Police say Chapman did not have a criminal record.
Carol Latimer, who lived next to the family on Via Romano Drive for five months, said she never saw the couple fight. The Chapmans kept to themselves, and Latimer's conversations with Nateesha Chapman never went beyond making sure the kids got to the bus stop or other child care issues.
"She was really closed as far as her personal life," Latimer said. "We didn't talk much unless she needed help."
Latimer talked even more rarely with Kenneth Chapman. She knew he worked the night shift, but never found out where. He only said a few words when she asked him questions. The family member she got to know the best was the 10-year-old girl. They sat outside and ate fruit snacks one day after school when her dad and stepmom weren't home.
Latimer said the couple moved out of the home where Nateesha Chapman's body was found weeks ago, and she never heard anything from the apartment or saw anyone over there again until police arrived early Tuesday morning.
Neighbors at the couple's other home said they only saw them move in and couldn't remember seeing an adult woman at the home at all. Jerome Sanders didn't even know they had dogs until he heard them barking as police talked to him after discovering the bodies.
"They just seemed typical, what little I saw," Sanders said. "I heard a baby crying once, but that was about it."
Court records show an eviction notice was served on the apartment where Nateesha Chapman's body was found, but shed little other light on whether they were having financial trouble.
Investigators are still trying to figure out not only why Kenneth Chapman killed his family, but why he tried to hide it for weeks and acted like nothing happened.
"What this man did was despicable and cowardly," Zinkann said.
Charlotte DSS Got Call On Chapmans In September
Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s Department of Social Services received a complaint in September regarding the Chapman family -- where four members died in a recent murder-suicide spree -- but decided not to open a case on the family.
The agency said Thursday that workers weren’t able to take the case and provide protective services because the complaint “did not meet the legal definition of abuse, neglect or dependency,” according to an agency spokesman.
Authorities believe Kenneth Jermaine Chapman, 33, suffocated his wife, 35-year-old Nateesha Ward Chapman, more than two weeks ago in a Charlotte apartment where the family formerly lived.
Within a day of her killing, police say Chapman also killed two children: his wife’s daughter, 13-year-old Na’Jhae Parker, and the couple’s own daughter, 1-year-old Nakyiah Jael Chapman. Chapman fatally shot himself late Monday when police arrived to investigate a missing person report. Two other children survived.
Following the murders, DSS filed a petition with Mecklenburg County Juvenile Court and obtained protective custody of the surviving children, ages 10 and 2.
DSS officials didn’t respond immediately to questions about what the September complaint entailed and whether the agency has reviewed the screening process since the crimes.
Carolina's Medical Center Reviews Case Of Murder-Suicide Suspect
Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Commissioners have requested an investigation into whether or not Carolinas Medical Center followed proper protocol in the case of Kenneth Chapman.
The Charlotte Observer reports Chapman sought help twice this year at the hospital's Behavioral Health Center on Billingsley road.
Chapman reportedly told staff members he had access to guns and that he wanted to "harm his wife". He later changed his mind and told staff members he would not hurt anyone.
He was reportedly released on April 16, the same day police say he killed his wife and two children. Police say he killed himself two weeks later. The bodies were discovered last week in Chapman's South Charlotte apartment. His wife's body was found in another apartment nearby. The couple was in the process of moving.
Mecklenburg County Chair, Jennifer Roberts, told WBTV reporter Sarah Batista commissioners requested an investigation by the hospital during a closed door meeting Tuesday evening.
CMC released this statement to WBTV, "Patient privacy laws prohibit behavioral treatment facilities from publicly disclosing information about patient treatment, including information about whether an individual did or did not receive treatment.
With respect to current discussions regarding an investigation by the County Commissioners, CHS has always been and will continue to be responsive when the County requests our cooperation or assistance."
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Sources: WCNC, WBTV, McClatchy Newspapers, The State, Carolinas Medical Center, Charmeck.org, Wikipedia, Google Maps
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