I went to see Sicko on the 4th of July...good way to beat the heat.
The audience applauded at the end of the movie.
If you haven't seen it, I encourage you to go. There wasn't anything in that movie that I didn't know already...having participated in our health care system as a reciever, a giver, and a concerned family member. It'll all be familiar to you, too. I guarantee it. Nothing new. But when you put it all together like that, in one coherent thought...well. ... How can we NOT change things???
I especially liked the line where Moore says, "In France, the government is afraid of the people; in America, the people are afraid of the government." I think that's true. I think we could have universal health care...and all the other things the French have...or the British have.....or the Canadians have....if we weren't too afraid to insist.
My daughter called me today and said she'd had an unfortunate encounter with a horse in which she might have broken her thumb. She wasn't sure. She is also not insured. To find out if the thumb is broken would cost hundreds of dollars....that she doesn't have....so she can't find out. She's hoping it's just sprained and will heal up....if not, well she's not too far from Cuba.
My other daughter tore her ACL a couple of weeks ago. She stepped backwards off a flower planter in some weird, wrong way and boom! rip! oooops! torn ACL. She's just finished 4 years of a five year degree in Architecture....and we cannot afford a torn ACL. Thank the good lord, she was at work when this happened. Workmen's Compensation will buy the surgery and the PT and she gets to finish the degree.
Several governments, in the last 10 years, have been overthrown following mass demonstrations by their citizens. The populace just simply went out and stood in the street until the current government fell. No shots fired. Sometimes took a while. But the point is, all they did was stand there...all of them.....until the goverment gave up. Commerce, transportation, banking, everything ground to a halt while the people stood in the streets and demanded change...this has happened in at least 4 or 5 countries lately. After a while, if you're the government, what are you going to do?....how are you going to proceed when all your citizens are just standing there...not participating....not working, not buying, not paying taxes.....just all standing there. It makes governments fall....and get replaced.
We surely could demand universal health care...and get it. We surely could determine to vote only for candidates who support it. This is election season, people!! If we were to make universal health care the deciding factor in how we choose our candidates, our representatives, our government, we could have it...(Imagine: my daughter could have her thumb checked out!...my other daughter wouldn't have to risk her education and career daily!!) And if those we voted for failed to produce after the election...well I say, let's just all go out and stand there in the streets 'til they fix it. Period. Why not? Scared?
Go see the movie.
10 comments:
When will the auditors be coming here? I know that many of these units' budgets are out of wack. Do you think there will be some supervisors or team leaders replaced afterwards. Probably not, business as usual.
Lets be honest with ourselves, this hospital has been the most backward facility from the begining. We are not leaders in mental health and never have been. I know it hurts our own pride, but the truth is that private sector have known this and steer cleer of here, unless patients do not have insurance.
"Would you send a parent or child here that you cared?" We all know the answer to this question, and that in itself is truly troubling.
"Where does this lack of mental health treatment come from?" It begins with a weak leadership, and weaker unit supervisors. It is a trickle down effect, that decreases the morale and impedes growth of the direct care staff "Be it education wise or basic knowledge expansion".It pushes new staff to leave and limits the amount of qualified applicants that apply for positions with the hospital.
"Does anyone else wonder why most of the new Clinicians seem to be on the older side, practically retirement age". That is how weak are talent pool is. Many of the younger generation in the mental health field would rather take less money than become a "warehouse worker" at a hospital with a poor reputation within Colorado mental health.
This is not to say that there are not good supervisors that believe in the clients and fulfilling the obligation of providing quality mental health treatment to all.
The difficulty is that so many supervisors were not qualified, proven or believers in modern mental health and were promoted because of networking. This does happen in private hospitals too, but you cannot last years in same position if your unit is a failure or employee morale is continually low such as here. Like we say with bad politicians "Throw the bums out", but yet we allow the continued incompetence, ignore valid employee complaints, reward units with high assualt ratios, incidents, high turnover and ballooned waisteful budgets. We allow supervisors to continually be promoted that would be line staff in a regular hospital because of not meeting minimum requirements for a supervisor position.
I am a nurse, not because of license, but because I can work anywhere, my knowledge has not withered away here nor have I become so comfortable to meet the criteria of just a "Pill pusher", the day I cannot perform the basic duties of a RN will be the day I let my license expire. Yet, there are some of us that do not deserve the title of this position or lack respect for this position to keep up with trainings or nursing workshops. To those that do not, you make us all look like fools and embarass me. Clinicians laugh at us, adminstration disregards us and private hospitals cringe when our applications come across their desks.
If you have allowed your basic nursing skills to wither away "What right do you have to call yourself a nurse?". If all you can do is pass medication then "What is the difference between you and a CNA with a medication certification?".
This is a challenge to the other so called nurses that place all of the burden of the paperwork, medical procedures and general nursing skills on the few of us that actually understand the role we play in our PATIENTS' lives and keep updated on nursing. Many of you would not last one day in a real hospital, "Please do not tell me that you worked in one 15 years ago either", you skills are gone, and many have ran back here when they realized that actual Nursing involves responsibility, knowledge, personal communication skills and genuine care for the patients. "Then we wonder why wages have been so low here for so many years". I want many of the Nurses to take a good look in the mirror, and ask themselves "Am I doing my part or taking advantage of another Nurse that goes above and beyond". If you are not doing your part then this needs to said "Get the hell out of here and find another career!"
My message to the auditors is this "Fix it or close it".
It does not really matter to me have always kept another job that puts the patients first.
I firmly believe that we make clients "on the fence" worse and institionalize many that could become part of community based mental health programs.
In that lies the greatest tragedy. Not the loss of PERA, but the destruction of human beings lives that we have been empowered to help yet fail.
Sincerly,
The Whistle Blower Nurse.
The scariest thing about univeral health care is "Who would run it?". I mean we work for a facility that is funded by the government and "It ain't exactly a great place ot be a patient". Imagine Keithie, and his incompetents in charge of a Medical hospital. I just picture State ran hospitals as being far to scary and also take a look at the Europeans' healthcare systems. They are also not exactly that great, waiting lists, 40-50% of your income. I really don't know which is better, but I know I would always have health insurance. Sorry, I had forgotten to reply to your question earlier.
Whistle Blower Nurse
After thinking about your most recent post for awhile I feel compelled to respond.
It is a mystery to me that the citizens of this country continue to tolerate our "model T style" healthcare system.
Perhaps it is because the AMA (although many docs seem to be changing their minds) and the free market right wing have chanted the mantra of "evil socialized medicine" for so many years that it is accepted as fact.
Let me relate a recent medical experience in a "less developed" nation which provides universal coverage. This past winter while residing in a Central American country an acquaintance of mine developed a posterior right sided pain which over a 36 hour period worsened dramatically, radiating around his abdomen. His wife called at 2330 one evening stating that she was terrified he was dieing and wanting to know what to do. We called a cab and went to the nearest hospital ED, about 25 minutes away. On arrival the ED attending (who spoke excellent English by the way), took a brief history, watched my friend walk and said "Let's get you some pain relief, get you hydrated, and get a picture so we can see where that kidney stone is." This was all accomplished within a half hour. We spent approximately 2 hours total in the hospital. No one mentioned insurance, money or financial responsibility until we went to check out. When we did so my friends wife offered her credit card to settle the bill. She was told that that would not be neccesary, that all that was needed was a passport number and an address for the bill. This was a hospital serving an area of probably 100,000-150,000 people. After we left I started to wonder about the quickness of the service we received. It then struck me that EVERYONE in the country is insured and that people do not have to use hospital EDs as their points of primary care. I realize that an anecdote does not a theory prove but it can certainly provide food for thought.
I guess we're stuck with the healthcare system we have until enough people literally or figureatively "stand in the streets and demand change".
Here's something for you pre-retirees to think about: to insure myself(medicare) and my spouse(pre-medicare) consumes 25% of my net "extravagent" PERA retirement.
Poor Richard
Having worked in the private sector and now at the Mad House I can tell you that the Mad House's image in the community is one of a punitive one. We (in the private sector) often could be heard promising our patients that if their behavior didn't improve they would be sent to "Ft Logan". This usually provided the response we desiderd which would compliance and cooperation. Now that I work here I can see why they wouldn't want to come here. I agree with anonymous, I would NEVER send a family member to the Mad House!!!!! I would fear for their lives and mental well being. I agree too that it needs to be changed or closed! Nuff said.
Thanks to Poor Richard for his comment! Excellent to have you back in the conversation!! I'll post another essay soon - I'm thinking I'll rave on about universal health care for a while...hope you'll join me.
g.f.
Hi, I have many good friends in the U.K. Canada and Mexico and have spent a great deal of time in all these countries. They all have great health care and if they want to spend a little extra money they can have insurance . No one I met wanted care any other way. I have been in the Mecian hospitals as a visitor watching the care given to a friend with a compound fracture of his tiba. I looked to see if I could find fault with the care. And no I could not. I was also with a friend who fell and need to have sutures while in Mexico. We went to the local Red Cross she got great care. The examine room was not marble and beautiful but the care was great and with medications her whole bill was $35.00... Now we were told later we could have gone to the American hospital it would have bee $500 for the ER visit plus meds...There you have it....
Please go to Colorado GEMS performance Review State Employee Survey at the DHS home page
If, as you all say, health care is so good in Mexico, Cuba, etc why do we have so many latinos coming here illegally to have their needs taken care of?? If Ft. Logan is so bad, is the patient care isn't this a reflection of the NURSING care????? Maybe if you didn't spend so much time in the break room paitent's would benefit.
And More people in this country could afford their own health but their priorties are set some where else and want only for someone else (my tax $$) to take care of them.... It's so sad to see how disfunctional nursing has become. (oh yea! hello to the blog Nazi)
Someone must not work at the
Fort...........what "break room",where would that be???? and what exactly IS mental intellect ??I am not conversant with the term. Also,Latinos Dont come for health care,they come for JOBS so they can support their families.Last word now.............Michael Moore understandibly exagerates to make a point, and indeed needs to do this to counter the distortion in the language that permits Mr. Bush to make statements like we are doing well in Iraq,or that the terrorist in Iraq are a problem,when in fact the biggest terrorist in the world with weapons of mass destruction is the united states.Branch out and open your eyes.
While living in Canada (socialized medicine) I became pregnant and gave birth to my child. I received regular check ups and consistant care because of my toxemia ,I had an excelllent physician,the same one throughout the whole term and delivery,and stayed in the hospital the regular ten days that was then the norm. I had an excellent experience there and never paid a dime.I am sure there are many stories like this,as well as negative ones,nothing is perfect,but nothing could be Less perfect then health care for Profit
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