ECSTASY VICTIM'S MOM TAKES HOSPITAL TO TASK

March 2, 2001 - BOULDER - Valuable time may have been lost in treating a
16-year-old overdose victim because a hospital wouldn't give out emergency
information, the girl's mother said Thursday.

Marcie Chambers said she's not likely to sue Boulder Community Hospital
over the delay in helping her daughter Brittney. But she does want
emergency-room rules to be changed to help others facing the same crisis.
"I don't blame anybody. I don't plan to sue anybody," Chambers said. "I
just want them to look at their policies."

Brittney Chambers died Feb. 2 after being removed from life support at
Boulder Community. Six days earlier she had taken an Ecstasy pill at her
16th birthday party at her mother's home in Superior.

Brittney died from drinking too much water, a result of taking Ecstasy,
according to the Boulder County coroner.

A hospital spokesmen said Thursday all the proper procedures were followed.
Marcie Chambers said she knew something was wrong with her daughter when
she saw Brittney vomiting clear liquid in her upstairs bathroom early Jan. 28.

Chambers said she called the emergency room at Boulder Community Hospital
but was told by a staff member that he couldn't give medical advice over
the phone.

Chambers said she was told to call her insurance company, Kaiser Permanente.

Hospital spokesman Rich Sheehan said emergency room nurses are available to
answer any questions over the telephone. If a nurse doesn't feel it is
appropriate to give medical advice over the phone, the nurse will tell the
caller to come to the hospital or call his or her regular doctor.

"We never tell people to call their insurance company," Sheehan said.

Chambers said she called Kaiser but reached a recording. And no one was
available when she called Ask a Nurse. She finally reached a staff person
at Kaiser, who called for an ambulance.

In the meantime, Brittney continued to drink water, Marcie Chambers said.

"I'm guessing there was another 20 or 30 minutes of her drinking water,"
she said.