Hospital execs say options exist for poor patients; man in jail after alleged bank robbery to get medical care

There is no scenario in which a person seeking medical care should commit a crime to seek treatment in jail, a Cape Girardeau hospital executive told the Southeast Missourian on Friday.

Hospitals must treat patients regardless of their ability to pay in emergency rooms. Beyond that, there are resources within the community that can help poor people with health care and other needs, local hospital officials said.

On Thursday, Aug. 8, Cape Girardeau Police Department released a statement saying Richard Bann, 72, with an address from Springfield, Missouri, told a bank teller he was robbing the bank and demanded her to put money in an envelope. The bank employee put $20 into an envelope, and Bann waited outside the facility for officers to arrest him. According to the news release and the probable cause document, Bann said he wanted to be arrested to get medical care in jail. He immediately handed the envelope with the money to the arresting officer.

Bann is in Cape Girardeau County Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond. According to online court records, he appeared in court on video to request a reading of charges. He then asked for representation from the public defender’s office. The case was continued until Thursdya, Aug. 15, “to give the public defenders office time to review defendant’s application,” according to court documents.

Hospital executives from both of Cape Girardeau’s hospitals stated that no one seeking medical care would be turned away from a hospital.

In 1986, Congress enacted a law to ensure public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay. It is not publicly known whether Bann had an acute health issue or an ongoing one.

Ryan Geib, president of Mercy Southeast Communities, said the Mercy health system began with the mission of caring for the vulnerable and marginalized. The hospital would not turn away an individual, not just due to the law, but because of the mission of the hospital, he said.

“There are a host of options in the community, whether that's in primary care, emergency or community care or could be for our emergency department,” he said. “They come in seeking services, our emergency department will provide them with that medical screening and get them the level of care they need, whatever that may be. If that's an inpatient stay, an acute care stay, we're going to continue to treat that patient and take care of that medical condition until at such point that we feel that they are safe for discharge, and that can be a variety of discharge options. If they come into the emergency room with an acute condition, they can be treated and then discharged from the emergency room. We have a team that can set up patients with social workers or community health partners that can link in with the right resources within the community, whether that's shelter, food, counseling — we can get them connected into those resources that exist.”

In an emailed statement, Saint Francis Healthcare System vice president of population health and payer strategies Alex Ogburn said, “Patients who present requiring emergent and non-emergent care without coverage such as Medicare, Medicaid or commercial coverage, many qualify for financial assistance through Saint Francis. This is offered to those who have little or no ability to pay for treatment.”

Bann’s arrest has spread widely online with many people criticizing the nation’s healthcare system that is associated with high costs for care.

Richard Rushin, the jail administrator at Cape Girardeau County Jail, said the jail provides medical treatment to all inmates, with doctor and nursing oversight. He declined to comment on Bann’s condition, citing health privacy laws.