New Hampshire woman with asthma attack left alone in closed urgent care clinic
Tia Chandler says staff at ConvenientMD in Keene, New Hampshire, closed up and left while she waited for treatment for an asthma attack on 24 September. The clinic has apologised and says it has taken steps to prevent a repeat.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Tia Chandler, 46, says she was left alone inside a ConvenientMD urgent care clinic in Keene, New Hampshire, on 24 September after staff closed for the night while she was being treated for an asthma attack. The IndependentLC “Tia Chandler, 46, visited ConvenientMD Urgent Care in Keene around 7.45 p.m. on September 24, only for staff to close up while she was inside.” Read at The Independent ↗ New York PostR “Tia Chandler was waiting at ConvenientMD in Keene for a steroid shot to combat her asthma on Sept. 24 when clinic workers suddenly vanished.” Read at New York Post ↗ Left · 1According to the Independent, which cites her interviews with WCVB and the Keene Sentinel, a worker gave her a steroid injection and said they would return shortly, but nobody came back. The IndependentLC “Chandler said that she had been given a steroid injection by one worker, who said that they would return shortly. They never came back, she told WCVB.” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2Chandler said she initially gave staff "some grace" because she knew they were busy at the end of the day. She later looked out, called "Hello?", found nobody in the office and became panicked. The IndependentLC ““I knew that they were slammed at the end of the day so I was trying to give them some grace,”” Read at The Independent ↗ New York PostR ““I pop my head out and said, ‘Hello? Hello?’ And, then I got a little nervous,”” Read at New York Post ↗
Mixed · 2She texted her husband, "They locked me in. Call 911." She set off an alarm when she tried to leave through a door and contacted emergency services. The Independent reports that Keene Police confirmed they responded. New York PostR “texted my husband, ‘They locked me in. Call 911.’”“A desperate Chandler tried opening a door, which triggered the alarm.” Read at New York Post ↗ The IndependentLC “The Keene Police Department has confirmed that it responded to the incident.” Read at The Independent ↗ Mixed · 2The Independent says the clinic's website lists hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and that Chandler realised she was alone at about 8:20 p.m. Chandler recalled thinking at 8:10 that staff "would never lock me in there". The IndependentLC “it remains open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., 7 days a week.”“it was only at around 8:20 p.m. that she realized that she had been left alone.” Read at The Independent ↗ New York PostR “sitting there at 8:10, ‘They would never lock me in there.” Read at New York Post ↗ Mixed · 2ConvenientMD said in a statement that "this should never have happened", that it had taken steps to ensure it would not happen again, and that it has served the Keene community for more than a decade. New York PostR “Clearly, this should never have happened. … We have taken steps to ensure this won’t happen again” Read at New York Post ↗ The IndependentLC “does not represent the quality of care we seek to provide the Keene community” Read at The Independent ↗
Left · 1According to the Independent, the clinic said its practice manager immediately apologised. Chandler told the Keene Sentinel the manager texted an apology that evening and said the clinic planned to investigate. The IndependentLC “The practice manager immediately expressed our deepest apologies to the patient.”“the clinic manager apologized to her via text message the same evening” Read at The Independent ↗ Right · 1Chandler called the experience shocking and said she would "probably not" return to the clinic, though her family had used it often in the past. New York PostR “Chandler said “probably not.””““And we’ve utilized them quite a bit in the past.”” Read at New York Post ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- The Independent tells it as a patient's account with the clinic's apology, noting the posted hours, the manager's text apology and police confirmation.
- Emphasis
- Verification and the clinic's response: police confirmation, the spokesperson's apology, the planned investigation, and the posted closing time.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention that Chandler said she would probably not return.
- Charged language
- “skeleton crew”
- For example
-
“The Keene Police Department has confirmed that it responded to the incident.” — The Independent
“The practice manager immediately expressed our deepest apologies to the patient.” — The Independent
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- The New York Post leads with the vivid image of a woman "trapped" and locked in, using Chandler's own quotes and her decision not to return.
- Emphasis
- Chandler's panic, the alarm, her loss of trust in the clinic, and the lengthy first-person quotes.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the clinic's posted hours, the manager's text apology or police confirmation of the response.
- Charged language
- “trapped”“locks up”“desperate”“forgot she was still there”
- For example
-
“A desperate Chandler tried opening a door, which triggered the alarm.” — New York Post
“The whole experience put a sour taste in her mouth — and she won’t be returning to the clinic anytime soon.” — New York Post
What every side reports
- Tia Chandler went to ConvenientMD in Keene, New Hampshire, on 24 September for an asthma attack.
- Staff closed the clinic while she was still inside.
- She triggered an alarm leaving and contacted emergency services.
- ConvenientMD said it should never have happened and that it has taken steps to prevent a repeat.
Where accounts differ
-
Whether the clinic locked her in
- Left
- The Independent says staff "closed up" and she was left alone, and does not say she was locked in.
- Right
- The New York Post says she was "locked inside" and "trapped", citing Chandler's text saying "They locked me in".
Left1 article
-
A woman went to urgent care for an asthma attack. As sat in a room the staff all left
Neutral Measured report of Chandler's account, with the clinic's apology and police confirmation added.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
New Hampshire woman trapped in urgent care clinic — after staff locks up and leaves
Sympathetic Dramatic, quote-led account that stresses Chandler's fear and says staff "forgot she was still there".
- 14 Oct 18:05 First The IndependentLC A woman went to urgent care for an asthma attack. As sat in a room the staff all left
- 15 Oct 03:57 +9h 52m New York PostR New Hampshire woman trapped in urgent care clinic — after staff locks up and leaves
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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