A Child's Death Is a Tragedy, Not a Talking Point

The death of a child is a tragedy; however, when I saw the story as reported by AP there was this information included.

Columbia County school board member Roxanne Whitaker said the girl's parents lost their jobs and had no health insurance to pay medical costs. She said the family has "lost their home and everything else."

It just sounded too convenient, so I went to some sources closer to the story and found this.

The Columbia County Coroner tells NBC Augusta 26 News a girl from Harlem died of complications from H1N1.

Vernon Collins says 10-year- old Summer Rockefeller died Saturday in an Atlanta hospital.

Rockefeller went through four surgeries this summer.

The coroner says her H1N1 led to pneumonia.

Do you see anywhere in the story reported at the local level that this child was denied any sort of healthcare? The story as reported by the national news attempts to paint an image of some poor child dying because of lack of health insurance, when in fact the family may not have had insurance, but she certainly wasn't denied healthcare.

In fact, this child has been in the hospital since at least September 7, which is the date she was transferred from a hospital in Augusta, GA, to one in Atlanta.

Columbia County Coroner Vernon Collins confirms Summer Rockefeller died early Saturday morning at an Atlanta hospital from complications of the flu, possibly swine flu. Collins says she was transferred to Atlanta, from MCG, on September 7th.

I am trying to get more information on what she was originally hospitalized for and what the previous surgeries are for, but the family does need help paying the bills.

All I wanted to make clear was that this child did not die because of lack of medical care and the lack of insurance had nothing to do with the treatment she received, so please don't let this case be used as some sort of talking point in the government takeover of healthcare debate. In fact, it wasn't just any hospital in Atlanta, it was Egleston Childrens Hospital. There is no better medical facility.

My deepest condolences go out to the family.