[CA] [CA] What do I do when I am a patient in a community hospital and there are nurses who are making my experience uncomfortable?

Welcome and thank you for your questions. My name is Gurney, and I’m the attorney who will be assisting you.

I’m happy to draw on my years of experience as an attorney and former prosecutor to offer some guidance. It should only take 3–5 minutes for me to reply.

Where does this take place?

What you described is deeply concerning, and it’s absolutely appropriate for you to expect safety, dignity, and privacy during your care.

When hospital staff start discussing your personal life or making off-topic comments that change how you’re treated, that crosses a serious line.

If you believe one of the staff may have a connection to your past — especially involving stalking — that takes this beyond discomfort and into the territory of potential harassment or patient rights violations. Your instincts are not wrong, and you have every right to speak up.

It’s good that you called the hospital’s “patient experience” line, but suggesting an early discharge — when you are still under medical care — is not a solution. Trying to remove you instead of addressing staff behavior is unacceptable and might even be seen as retaliation for raising concerns.

Because you’re in California, you have strong patient privacy rights under both federal law (HIPAA) and California’s Patient Bill of Rights.

If needed, a formal written complaint can be submitted to hospital leadership and the California Department of Public Health.