Board not accountable
EDITOR: I attended the public comment portion of the closed meeting of the Palm Drive Health Care District on Friday, Feb. 23. I was met with hospital staff carrying little signs reading: “We Love SWMC.” I admire their loyalty but I’m afraid it is misplaced. At that closed meeting the district board was addressing its response to the Anthem letter that accuses SWMC and Palm Drive Health Care District of fraud. (agenda item publicly distributed.)
The board and the staff seem to think that they can fend off this accusation because they have fended off several other insurance companies. That remains to be seen. I believe the real issue here is not the lab at SWMC running these tests. They are accurate and safe; the question is the billing practice that allows SWMC to use their charge master to bill for services (actual testing) for people who are not their patients … not inpatients, not outpatients. They also charge much higher rates than a non-hospital lab would.
The basic issue here is why SWMC believes it is right in billing people (their insurance companies) who are not their patients to cover their operational losses. Until it is shown that such billing is legal in California, which the letter states is not the case, I think SWMC and the district are at risk.
Friday in my comments to the board I asked for the resignation of directors Gail Thomas and Dennis Colthurst. Director Thomas has been an unapologetic champion of the toxicology program and has chided the public when we have questioned the legitimacy of this toxicology scheme. She has stated that this “testing is helping in our nation’s drug crisis.” Her steadfast support of Durall Holdings (which contracts with SWMC for conducting toxicology testing) without conscience or compunction is stark. Director Colthurst does not appear to understand the gravity of this situation.
I believe that these board members need to resign so that new board members may be appointed who will have sound judgment and a non-biased, objective appreciation of the situation. I do not believe that the community finds this board as it is presently configured accountable, credible or responsible. If you are concerned about the decision-making of the Palm Drive Health Care District please attend the March 5 meeting at 7 p.m. in the hospital conference room.
Sandra Bodley
(former member, Palm Drive Health Care District board)
Sebastopol
Bad role models
EDITOR: I want to say to Taylor Talcott, the Analy student who wrote the beautiful, thoughtful piece about the Florida shooting last week, “Thank you for being a young person who gives me hope.”
The added piece for me is about and role models and leaders — those who are our examples of how to live.
Every day, all over the country police are murdering innocent people, including right here in Sonoma County and Sebastopol. Remember the Analy student, Jeremiah Chass, who was shot by two veteran cops at close range because he was holding a pocket knife as he had an emotional melt down? And, of course, Andy Lopez.
We all knew these kids were murdered in cold blood but our leaders have policy that allows cops to murder in the line of duty if they feel threatened. How stupid do our role models/leaders think we all are? Murder is murder. Sonoma County is still denying Andy Lopez’s family restitution for the murder of their son. Shame on all of us for that.
Travel up to the top levels of our government and observe how many people (mostly brown) we murder all over the world with our massive military machine using terrorism or spreading democracy or some other excuse. It doesn’t matter if the leaders/teachers/role models are Democrats or Republicans. Murder is the go-to solution for everything. How many refugees have we created? How many lost, displaced, desperate souls who have no hope?
Not to mention that our kids all play video games that revolve around killing as a solution to any problem the video characters may have.
Billions and trillions of dollars that could be used to better the lives of all on the planet are used to murder. With role models like these it’s no wonder that murdering innocents happens all the time by the lost souls.
Paula Downing
Sebastopol
