Dr. Tara Marie Mody, MD

I am so deeply disgusted and saddened by the treatment I received from Dr. Mody in the Kaiser ER. She is RACIST and PREJUDICED towards black women. It’s really sad too, because you’d think someone of a marginalized identity such as herself would be able to empathize and be a good doctor, but instead she upholds the obvious white supremacy that runs rampant through the medical world. When I came in to the ER having a panic attack Dr. Mody was kind at first. I had her as my attending doctor a couple years ago when I was extremely sick from having my tonsils removed and she was kind to me then too (though I’m now assuming it’s because my mother was there with me and she knew she would speak up for me if I was mistreated). Dr. Mody told me there are plenty of anxiety medications that she’d be more than happy to give me as soon as the on-call psychiatrist approved, but until then she wanted to leave me having a panic attack so he could see me like that. I felt it was cruel and… unnecessary but I really wanted help so I agreed. She left the room and the psychiatrist came in. He was already ready to argue with me and accuse me of being a drug user and then brought up a drug test that Kaiser performed on me without my consent from years ago that tested positive for opioids. When I told him it was pain medication that Kaiser had prescribed to me for a very serious issue and that he could check my medical record to verify, he snickered at me told me repeatedly that it was illegal to prescribe me medication for my anxiety and then prescribed me a medication that I had a severely bad reaction to and was told by doctors to never take again. He stormed out of the room when I told him he was being prejudiced. A long time passed and I know he was talking to Dr. Mody about me. I was hoping she’d at least want to hear what I had to say about it all. When she came back in the room her entire demeanor had changed. She rushed in, refused to even look at me and speedily said under her breath that she talked to Dr. Phan and he said I have all the medication that I need and there’s nothing she’s going to do for me and she’s going to send me home. She rushed out past me again, still refusing to look at me (if you’re going to be horrible at least own up to it instead of also being a coward and refusing to face the person you’re causing harm to). I called after her and she heard me but continued storming away. I asked a nurse if I could speak with her. The nurse looked for her and then came back to tell me that Dr. Mody told her she’s not going to talk to me, there’s nothing I can do, she’s going to discharge me no matter what. I asked to speak to a supervisor. I was given a woman in charge of the nurses. She was a black woman and completely empathetic and understanding and most importantly AWARE of the fact that abuse from doctors like this common for women of color visiting Kaiser. She tried to talk to Dr. Mody for me but she doubled-down and denied me care. The supervisor had to tell me her hands were tied. I would rather DIE than let another Kaiser doctor touch me. You will not be hearing the last of me, Dr. Mody. I’ve filed a formal complaint against both you and Dr. Phan and I will call to complain about you every day if I must. You should not be allowed near patients of color and certainly not near people in a fragile emotional state seeking help. You should be ashamed, and I truly hope you fall as low as me one day and then receive the treatment that I did when you seek help. Shame on you.