Ep. 38 - Filing a Hospital Complaint | Dr. Tracey Vogel

"I’ve got to turn around and go back and dig in to make it better for others." In this episode of Birth Allowed Radio, I speak with Dr. Tracey Vogel, an obstetric anesthesiologist from Pittsburgh who specializes in preventing birth trauma and re-traumatization during birth for people with abuse histories. As part of this care, Dr. Vogel mentors people through the process of filing complaints to hospitals about violating, traumatic, and inappropriate medical intervention. Dr. Vogel walks us through the bureaucratic structure of hospitals and how they receive and process grievances. We also discuss how people can effectively use their voice during birth in advocating for themselves, and the must-have details that you want to be captured if you are pulling together a formal written complaint. Finally, we examine the core issues at hand for many who want their traumatic experiences to be known - for the benefit of closure, and/or to prevent the mistreatment from happening to others - and managing expectations regarding the hospital’s response. Resources mentioned: Visit The Empowerment Equation (http://www.theempowermentequation.com/who-we-are.html) to learn more about Dr. Tracey Vogel and her work in trauma-informed care for obstetric patients. Click here (bit.ly/birth-rights) for all you need to know about Birth Monopoly’s “Know Your Rights - Legal and Human Rights in Childbirth” course and community. Use coupon code PODCAST to get 10% off access.