1 /5 Dina Inestroza: Christopher Slack has the worst bedside manner I’ve ever experienced. I can’t help but feel it’s because we’re Hispanic or because my daughter is a Medicaid patient, but I certainly felt discriminated against. It seems the oath he took as a doctor means nothing to him unless you’re of the same ethnicity or meet a certain financial status—something that became very evident during our visit. Unfortunately, he seems to assume either Hispanics or Medicaid patients are uneducated. Which is most definitely not the case here.
My husband and I are both college graduates. He’s also in the military, and we’re usually covered by Tricare; however, he’s not active duty. He’s a reservist on leave to further his education. We have four kids and one income; but that is beside the point, and the reason we’re on Medicaid shouldn’t matter. What should matter is his attitude toward his patients and his willingness to listen to their concerns—as well as the opinions of other medical professionals.
He treated us poorly our first visit and I let it go because I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt and I wanted to trust him. However, two other medical professionals have raised concerns about my daughter’s sleeping patterns. They’ve observed that she stops breathing during the night and have recommended intervention. In this case it would be having her adenoids removed. Despite this, Christopher Slack blatantly ignored their recommendations, dismissively stating that “she just wants to be in bed with mom and dad.” This is completely untrue; she never sleeps in our bed. She wakes up crying, sometimes scared and sometimes in pain. Once she feels better, she goes to sleep on the couch. Facts I made clear to him.
When I respectfully pointed out that he wasn’t listening to concerns raised by my husband, myself, our daughter’s pediatrician, or her sleep specialist—who has conducted two sleep studies—he very pompously responded, “I gave you my opinion, you didn’t like it. You’re free to seek someone else’s opinion.” He then condescendingly started leading me out to the exit door while discussing my daughter’s medical information outside of the privacy of the patient room. Commenting across the hall and in the common area that I can go somewhere else. Escorting us, my 9, 4, and 2 year old little girls as if he were nonchalantly taking out the trash.
I can deal with the humiliation he caused if the appointment were for me, but we’re talking about a 4 year old child. Which he didn’t even bother to examine until I gave a little push back on things her pediatrician and sleep specialist advised me to address.
In summary, I do not and cannot in good conscience recommend Christopher Slack to anyone, especially those of a different race or with Medicaid, as his dismissive and discriminatory attitude is both unprofessional, unethical, and evident. A doctor’s responsibility is to prioritize the health and well-being of their patients, regardless of financial or insurance status, and he failed to do so today. I highly recommend seeking care from a more compassionate and qualified professional who values patient concerns and listens to the recommendations of other medical experts.
