00:00 The Medical Board of California held its quarterly meeting today for the first time holding that
00:05 meeting in Bakersfield.
00:06 The goal?
00:07 Opening a dialogue between board members and the community, with many showing up to express
00:12 their concerns after losing loved ones to what they say was medical negligence.
00:16 23 ABC's Ruby Rivera spoke with families who attended the meeting and tells us what changes
00:21 they feel are needed to improve medical care.
00:25 New laws, more community involvement, and more conversations.
00:28 These are just some of the improvements that families asked the state medical board to
00:31 make.
00:32 Although doctors cannot control the unpredictability of medical emergencies during labor and delivery,
00:40 they should never be the cause of birth trauma.
00:44 Families who spoke during Thursday's meeting said they feel like they can't trust doctors
00:47 after their experiences.
00:49 Members were seen comforting each other, sharing their stories of loss, and while the board
00:52 members didn't comment directly on the families' statements, they did thank those in attendance
00:56 for voicing their concerns.
00:58 And families say emotions could be seen in the board members' faces.
01:01 Some of these board members are actually feeling.
01:04 You know, they're not just listening, they're actually feeling.
01:08 Patient advocate for Consumer Watchdog Michelle Moncerrat-Ramos worked hard to bring these
01:12 families to the meeting, driven by the death of her fiancé in 2003 due to what she called
01:16 medical negligence.
01:18 Moncerrat-Ramos says there's a lot of internal protection within the medical field, which
01:21 is why she says families are also advocating for changes to the law.
01:24 A required interview before your complaint is dismissed, a patient impact statement before
01:33 a disparate action is taken with your complaint, similar to a victim impact statement.
01:39 Senate Bill 815, also known as the Sunset Bill, is set to be voted on next week in the
01:43 Assembly Appropriations Committee, where if passed, it will be sent to the Assembly for
01:47 a full vote.
01:48 Volunteer with Consumer Watchdog Larcenia Taylor says she's grateful that reform is
01:52 coming.
01:53 She says she lost her husband due to medical negligence after she claims he was given the
01:56 wrong medication and hospital staff left him unattended for more than half an hour.
02:00 Taylor says she knew she had to find answers about her husband's death, but she couldn't
02:04 believe what she heard when she got in contact with Consumer Watchdog.
02:07 The doctor that supposedly was over James also had misdiagnosed a three-year-old.
02:14 So she said, Michelle asked me, "What's the doctor's name?"
02:19 And I told her name, she said, "You won't believe the same doctor misdiagnosed a three-year-old."
02:25 Taylor says the doctor in question still has a medical license, and while these conversations
02:29 are critical for change, she says work needs to be done from within, since she believes
02:32 doctors are protecting each other.
02:34 Just as police protect police, so does doctors.
02:38 So I don't want the community to be deceived and think that you're going to report a doctor
02:45 because they all hang around together.
02:48 Taylor says implementing SB 815 is on the right track to true reform, but she also says
02:52 she would like to see more community members on the board to bring a level of balance.
02:56 We should have citizens on the board.
02:59 That way when doctors or lawyers are going too far the other way, someone will speak
03:04 up and say, "No, that's not the way it is."
03:07 In Bakersfield, Rabir Behra, 23 ABC News, connecting you.
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