LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

What’s the solution?
Editor: “Solving the Health care Crisis” by Dr. Shiroko on June
2, 2011 misses the mark. She doesn’t say how much her doctor was
paid for that 5 minute visit. The fee may drop to $75. Most
insurance companies are following Medicare payment schedule and
legally couldn’t get more even if doctor and patient wanted.
Overhead and malpractice dictate the 5 minute appointment is
necessary to survive. In West County we have lost so many
practitioners to under-funded insurance and Medicare payments (even
worse for Medi-Cal/Medicaid). Doctors just can’t make a living if
they give that “personal” touch most patients want. So if Medicare
is the model for a new single payer plan, the payment scheme will
dictate only 5 minute appointments. She wants that personal touch
from her physician but her physician can’t get paid a reasonable
reimbursement for that service.
Medicare is in major deficit mode and each year takes more from
physician’s pay by not keeping with inflation. My major objection
to the proposed health care is that Congress has not defined what
basic services we should get. If not defined there will never be
enough money to pay for our healthcare. And that 5 minute
appointment might become 3 minutes, unless you pay out of pocket …
$200.
Oh and by the way I believe only a few physicians feel that they
are the “ultimate authority.” The Internet has seen to that. And
for the most part that is a good thing.
Michael D. Holmes, MD
Sebastopol
Learn to Swim success
Editor: The Sebastopol Rotary Club’s 27th Learn to Swim program
concluded in the nick of time before June rains began. On May 19,
280 second graders from local schools completed four weeks of free
swim lessons at Ives Pool. The following schools participated in
the program: Apple Blossom; Pleasant Hill Christian; Sebastopol
Independent Charter; Gravenstein; Harmony; Pine Crest; and Park
Side. Rick Wilson and I were the Rotary club coordinators for the
lessons, and we wish to thank the many community volunteers,
including Rotarians, who helped teach the kids basic swim lessons,
and water safety.
We particularly want to single out Iris Lovelace for her
administrative support; Keith Miller, owner of Gone Tropo, who
supplied free tee shirts to instructors; Judy Robertson, Apache
Pools, who donated $300 and water safety coloring books for all the
kids; Lehla Irwin, Sebastopol Sea Serpent Swim Coach, for helping
organize and instruct classes; and finally Ricardo Freitas, Ives
Pool Manager, who on behalf of the West Sonoma County Swimmers,
provided pool time and lifeguards for the lessons.
Over the 27 years that this learn to swim program has existed,
more than 8,000 local second graders have benefited from this
program. The people in Sebastopol can be proud that their community
is the only one in the nation that teaches all second graders to
swim for free. There is clearly a need for Sebastopol area children
of all ages to take swimming lessons. There is also a need for
parents to volunteer to help with this worthy endeavor.
The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends children begin
taking lessons at the age of one; they have found that lessons for
kids ages 1 to 4 have reduced drownings in that age group by 88
percent. Sonoma County is beautiful, but outings on the coast, in
the Russian River, and on Lake Sonoma can be hazardous for
non-swimmers. We strongly urge parents to take advantage of lessons
offered at Ives Pool. Again, our sincere thanks to all who helped
keep our kids safe.
Rick Wilson
Greg Jacobs
Sebastopol Rotary
Learn to Swim coordinators
Far left ranting
Editor: I had the unfortunate experience of attending the
Sebastopol Planning Commission when they discussed the CVS and
Chase Bank project. Member Clair Najarian gave rant about the CVS
that sounded like a 1960s manifesto from the far left. The council
should remove her. She must consider the merits of the project not
vent her dislike for profit-making corporations. She was a bad
choice by the council but she is on the council’s majority of their
campaign committees so she got a green light. If this were another
pot shop it would have been approved with three drive up windows
and area to stop and smoke before you leave.
Martin M. Webb
Sebastopol