Resident says staff stopped interacting after her child screened positive

A resident testified that staff who were initially friendly stopped interacting with her and restricted her time with her son after he screened positive during intake, an experience she described as traumatic.

"It was actually extremely it was a very negative interaction," the resident said, describing that at first "they treated me very timely, and we were laughing and joking around." She said that changed after her son screened positive and that staff then "wouldn't interact with me at all."

According to the resident, staff also "wouldn't speak to me, wouldn't look at me, wouldn't allow me to be in the room alone with my son" and they "wouldn't give me the time that I was having before with him," which she said felt "extremely traumatic" given the guilt and shame she already carried.

"It was a really harmful experience," the resident said. She framed the episode as a symptom of broader stigma around substance use in the community and said it affected how she is treated "as a human being and a mother." She added that one important element missing from her experience was being addressed as "mom."

The resident said the episode continues to affect her: "And, it often still triggers me going to doctor's appointments, and, it takes away that trusted source that you're supposed to have with a doctor." The transcript does not record a response from staff or any formal action by officials in response to her account.

The testimony raises concerns about patient and parent treatment after a positive screening and the lasting effect such interactions can have on trust in medical providers. The transcript provides no information on the setting, the facility involved, or any follow-up steps taken by staff or officials.