Editor,
Putting things in perspective is important to those seeking unclouded insight by the Whidbey News-Times editorial regarding candidates for hospital commissioner.
“Things at WGH are just fine and under control” according to our CPA Gardner who has a track record of:
n Taking credit for the financial well being of the local hospital and having run up $4 million and then $5 million deficits over two successive years. She claims she “loves to count the pennies,” and I wish these were pennies. Then again, of course, “we opponents, Born and Drum, are the confused ones.”
Oh, “the hospital is starting to show a profit now” Gardner stated last week at the Old Goats luncheon followed by … “the hospital is a non-profit hospital and dare not show a profit.” How is it possible to have it both ways?
n Neglecting critical union contracts with the Washington State Nursing Association, which filed a complaint with the Department of Health, must not be considered an incumbent oversight. Who is in charge? Certainly, not this commissioner?
n Gardner is unaware of the role of the Joint Commission survey of hospitals which certifies the availability of the hospital to receive Medicare reimbursements. Is it possible for a commissioner responsible for the financial well-being of a hospital to be so ill-informed?
n Gardner is opposed to affiliation with a major hospital outside the perimeter of a Critical Access Hospital “as we might lose autonomy.” Our autonomy is more threatened by Obamacare as he dislikes the special subsidies to Critical Access Hospitals. Tomorrow it well might not exist by executive decree.
According to the News-Times, Rita Drum is renamed Rita “Born a former healthcare worker” I’d love to consider these mere typos, but error of thoughts often spill over into attempts to discredit a very talented woman of incredible principle, which is sorely needed.
Were it not for this very creative woman, about 500 miscarried babies would have been thrown into the New York dumpster as that is a common practice throughout America. Instead they were respectfully buried with parents finding closure.
Few could stand up against this barbaric practice, and Rita Drum has set the banner for saying no more discarding babies into the garbage.
The laws of our states require that if a baby is less than 20 weeks it is not the property of the parents, but of the hospital and as such becomes bio-waste and can be discarded as trash. In Oregon’s case, these babies can be put in a furnace to help heat the hospital.
This is ethically wrong, and for a mere “former health care worker” to have created a program for baby burials that has been continued for the past five years is a Godsend to be applauded.
With a master’s degree in forensic pathology, she knows how to connect the dots, which includes political dots. We are amazed at such shoddy reporting.
Edward A Drum MD
Captain, flight surgeon, USNR-ret
