In 2012, a 48-year older man named Richard Shouldis informed his doctor that he was experiencing worsening symptoms of panic attacks, depression, fatigue, excessive worry, difficulty concentrating, and weight loss.

Richard was already taking several medications for anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances, yet his doctor failed to recognize that his depressive and self-destructive state was getting progressively worse. In fact, Richard’s family revealed that he was so agitated and disturbed in the week leading up to his suicide that his doctor should have immediately sent him to a psychiatrist or the hospital.

In 2011, Sonia Natera checked into the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center due to severe abdominal pain. This pain was so severe that Sonia couldn’t even lie down and walked to and from an examination room while in the company of a second-year resident. It was expected that Sonia was suffering from an ectopic pregnancy, and when she complained of dizziness, the residence left to find a more senior doctor for assistance. It was during this time that Sonia lost consciousness and fell.

Sonia sustained serious injuries as a result of her fall and had to undergo neck and elbow surgery, the cost of which