Share your Experience: Denial of Care at a New York health care facility

Have you or a loved one been denied medical care at a health care facility in New York State? Are you a medical provider who has been restricted from providing certain types of services or who has had a patient come to you after being denied care at another New York State facility?

The NYCLU wants to hear about your experience with denials of or restrictions on care.

* indicates required field

Show About this Form

Reproductive, LGBTQ-inclusive, and end-of-life care are among the types of health care that are often denied or restricted due to the institutional policies of some health care systems, hindering patients’ access to comprehensive, evidence-based medical care.

We are working to ensure that patients are able to obtain medically accurate, comprehensive information and health services no matter where they live in New York State. Sharing your story is important because it can help these efforts, provide a greater understanding of these issues, and prevent similar denials of care from happening to other patients.

Some examples of denials of care:
• Delays in receiving proper treatment for a miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy
• Denial of tubal ligation immediately after C-section or other types of sterilization
• Difficulties accessing fertility treatments
• Discrimination because of your sexual orientation or gender identity
• Denial of a hysterectomy because you’re transgender
• Difficulty accessing end-of-life care or helping a loved one plan for their last days
• Prohibitions on referring patients to other hospitals that provide comprehensive care, or informing those patients about health care services available at other hospitals
• Denial of care because of provider's disapproval of something in your medical history (e.g. an abortion, gender-affirming care, etc.)
• Any other experiences related to denials of care or restricted services

Hide Your Information

First Name:

Last Name:

Pronouns:

Show Please tell us about your experience

I am a: *

Patient

Provider (e.g., doctor, nurse)

Friend or family member of patient (please specify)

What are you writing about? *

Reproductive health care (e.g., contraception, miscarriage management, fertility treatment, abortion, sterilization, treatment of ectopic pregnancy, prenatal diagnosis)

End-of-life care (e.g., organ transplants from living donors, dialysis, or other advanced life support options, advance directives, living wills, do-not-resuscitate orders)

Gender identity discrimination (e.g., denials of gender affirming surgeries, hormone treatment)

Sexual orientation discrimination (e.g., mistreatment because of your sexual orientation)

Please describe your experience: *

When did the incident occur? *

Where did the incident occur? *If you are comfortable sharing, please list the name of the health care facility and where it is located. If you are uncomfortable sharing the name of the health care facility, please share the region of the state in which it is located.

If you are comfortable sharing, please list the name of the health care facility and where it is located. If you are uncomfortable sharing the name of the health care facility, please share the region of the state in which it is located.

Show Reason for Denial of Care

If you are a patient reporting an experience about medical services, what reason did the health care provider give for not providing you with services, counseling, or referrals?

It’s against the policy of the hospital/clinic/doctor’s office

It’s against the provider’s personal beliefs

No reason was provided

Other (please specify)

If you are a provider who has been restricted from providing certain types of services, for what reason were you not able to provide the requested health services, counseling, or referrals?

It’s against the policy of the hospital/clinic/office that employs me

It’s against my personal beliefs

Other (please specify)

Show Permissions and Contact Information

Thank you for your willingness to share your experiences with us! We will never use your name or other identifying information without your permission. We may generally categorize the types of reports we have received to share with others, like legislators. For example, to help show the extent of restrictions on health care services resulting from hospital mergers and affiliations, we may disclose the number of reports we receive. With your permission, your story may be featured on our website and social media, public materials, for educational purposes, or legislative campaigns. You can choose which ways you are comfortable sharing your story.

Can we contact you to follow up and get more information about your experience? *

Yes, via email

Yes, via phone

Disclaimer and Notice: This form does not give legal advice, and you should not rely on it as legal advice. This form is not an offer by the NYCLU to represent you. We cannot promise you that the information you provide will lead to any specific action on the NYCLU’s part. If you are seeking legal assistance, please complete the Request For Legal Assistance Form (PDF) and send it to the NYCLU either by mail, fax, or email.

Privacy: We respect your privacy and will only use the contact information you provide to contact you regarding the information you submit today. Other than that, we will never send unsolicited email, or share personal information you submit. For further information, see our privacy statement.

Leave this field blank