Woman branded 'Karen' and denied treatment for broken finger as she refused to wear mask inside hospital
A woman was denied treatment at a Canada hospital after she refused to wear a face mask amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The woman identified as Letitia Montana from Toronto, Ontario, went to St Joseph’s Hospital in the city for a suspected broken finger recently. However, she was not taken in for the treatment as she refused to comply with the rules and did not wear the mask.
Montana reportedly went to the hospital with her young son. She captured her heated interaction with the staff of the Emergency Department at St Joseph’s Hospital after she refused to wear a face covering. In the video, the mother – also an Insurance and Investment Advisor – was seen in the waiting area of the hospital. She was heard saying in the clip, “You're going to deny me service if I don't wear a mask.” Responding to which, a member of the medical staff replied: “Yes you have to wear a mask, we are asking you to wear a mask.”
Montana was then heard saying, “I am in St Joseph's Hospital they are telling me that if I don't wear a mask they won't assist me they want me to leave.” According to reports, the unnamed staff member had tried to remind Montana of the Ministry of Health’s policy enforced in the wake of the coronavirus. However, the mother refused to follow and later wrote on Twitter: “Went into the Emergency Dept. at St Joseph’s Hospital in #Toronto for a suspected broken finger. I was asked to wear a mask, which I refused to do. As a result, the hospital staff asked me to leave and immediately called 3 security guards to escort me out. #filmyourhospital”
Went into the Emergency Dept. at St Joseph’s Hospital in #Toronto for a suspected broken finger. I was asked to wear a mask, which I refused to do. As a result, hospital staff asked me to leave and immediately called 3 security guards to escort me out. #filmyourhospital pic.twitter.com/7KlDa11udk
— Letitia Montana (@LetitiaMontana) July 5, 2020
Montana's Twitter bio says she is a “freedom lover” and “truther”. She has also made her anti-mask views clear on the social media platform. “The few times I put a mask on I could hardly breathe especially with the hot summer heat. This has lead me to do research on them & what I learned from science is that they do compromise your health in more ways than one,” she wrote on the online platform.
The hospital video that Montana shared on Twitter on July 5 has garnered 4.7 million views with mixed reviews and thousands of retweets. Many of the users have branded her a ‘Karen’. The name ‘Karen’ is most commonly used to describe white middle-class women, who become confrontational when things do not turn up the way they want.
“Letitia, acting like “Karen” isn’t something to be proud about,” one user commented on Montana’s viral video. “The Karen's are outing themselves now. They're evolving!!!” said another one. “Imagine if they insisted on sterilizing their instruments before treating you. Imagine if they insisted on washing their hands before operating on you,” added the third user.
While Doctor Michelle Cohen wrote in response to Montana’s video: “Glad to see the hospital I trained at has their priorities straight: Protecting vulnerable patients from those who think infection control doesn't apply to them. Enforcing health privacy regulations by not letting you film a hospital.” She also posted a picture of staff who stood arms folded as Montana refused to wear a mask. Cohen added, “And whoever this nurse is: congrats on being a total boss.”
A cancer patient also responded to the video of Montana and wrote: “I have cancer. At the beginning of all of this, I sat & thought about how I would give up a ventilator for the sake of someone that was otherwise healthy. Yet you can’t even wear a damn mask for an hour”, adding: “I’m on chemo, have a history of pulmonary embolisms & asthma. I wore a mask for 5 hours straight while attached to machines monitoring my vitals. 99% oxygen the Whole. Damn. Time. Wear a damn mask & stop being a child.”
