Opinion
Gaslighting the Board
When a Valley Health administration official, Chris Rucker, said, “Valley Health doesn’t bill . .. can’t bill . . ., didn’t administer . … wasn’t done under our license.” The very next question from a Supervisor should have been: So who exactly is diagnosing and ordering drug administration by EMS personnel? Who exactly is the accountable licensed individual overseeing the operation? Patients ought to know.
Rucker said, “he intends to work with County Administrator Edwin Daley . . . .to sell medications to the county . . . providing drug boxes on ambulances.” Is Ed Daley licensed to handle medication? Is Chris Rucker licensed to “sell”? Has anyone clarified the legal issues? Taxpayers need a crystal clear explanation of that statement.
Roger Bianchini reported in the Royal Examiner on August 22, 2024, that when he asked Coello why maternity care in small communities is so dangerous, Coello explained that caregivers’ “infrequently used skills atrophy.” So, is delivering in a moving vehicle by EMS the better option?
Fortunately, an article in the NV Daily by Max Lee on Feb 19, 2018, updated Nov 15, 2018, sheds light on the thinking at the time that decision was actually made. A quote, “While Warren Memorial Hospital intended to keep this [labor and delivery] unit open during construction [of the new hospital], the timeline [for discontinuing that care] will likely need to be accelerated as our well-trained labor and delivery nurses consider their next lives and transition plans” suggests that we once had well-trained professionals who were either laid off or moved out.
And Lee’s article continues: “Valley Health’s decision comes at a time when rural hospitals across the country are cutting off obstetric services, largely as a cost-saving measure.”
And then it got worse, quoting a postdoc researcher at Yale, “Based on the literature, we know traveling longer distances to [receive] hospital obstetric care may be related to higher pre-term birth (and) may be related to infant mortality,” Hung said.
The entire 2018 article remains available at: https://www.nvdaily.com/news/local-news/warren-memorial-s-obstetric-services-may-close-in-may/article_19c53d31-511c-5750-9b2b-dc4985dba173.html
Thanks to dedicated reporters for documenting past and present decisions, we know politically convenient decisions when we see them. Pay attention to who actually profits financially before issuing apologies for speaking up on behalf of all our residents. “Demoralizing” is needing care you can’t get when and where it’s needed.
C.A. Wulf
Warren County
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