Sunday, March 14, 2010

Air transport is used in non-emergency cases

Lower Keys Medical Center CEO Nicki Will's assertion in a March 9 guest column that economics don't play a part in the emergency transport decisions I believe from personal experience is hospital propaganda.

My experience has been there is direct pressure on patients at LKMC to take a helicopter for non-emergency medical situations.

For the record, I have no preference for any of the three air transport services, and I have been happy with the medical care received by my family at LKMC. Additionally, I believe the Keys certainly need an air transport service for traumatic injuries and medical emergencies.

That having been said, my daughter on three occasions has been transported to Miami Children's Hospital, twice by helicopter and once by ground.

On two of those occasions, health professionals at LKMC were in complete agreement that there was no emergency. Yet on both of those occasions, LKMC staff wanted to use a helicopter.

On the first occasion, when I overheard ER staff calling for a helicopter for a non-emergency medical situation, I interrupted them, double- checked with the doctor on duty to make certain this was not a life-threatening issue, and expressed my desire for a ground ambulance as a less "extravagant" mode of transport. After a short discussion, staff at LKMC very begrudgingly complied with my request.

On the second occasion, again a non-emergency medical situation, I was told by LKMC staff that it was "Miami Children's Hospital preference and they only wanted transport by helicopter." Additionally, I was told that we needed a special pediatric ambulance and that it just wasn't possible no matter how long we were willing to wait for ground transport. We were basically given no alternative by LKMC staff except to take a helicopter.

For the record, ambulance transport by ground transport took about five hours, and the helicopter took 12 due to bad weather.

If there is a noneconomic reason my family was herded into helicopter transport for a non-medical emergency, I invite Ms. Will to contact me and explain the hospital's position.

Eric Detwiler

Key West

The jury is still out on district leadership

I read with interest your March 7 editorial about the dismal list of financial deficiencies in the school district.

I must disagree with your assessment that the state audit "doesn't reveal a great deal more than forensic auditors already uncovered." The forensic auditors demonstrated, in embarrassing detail, the machinations of Monique Acevedo, but not much more. The Auditor General's 20 findings of "material weaknesses" and "significant deficiencies," some of which you itemize, expose numerous financial irregularities hitherto publicly unknown.

What I find disturbing is that the Auditor General's assessment is based upon samplings of district records. If samplings resulted in 20 findings, how many more would there be had the Auditor General investigated records from A to Z?

I concur with your contention that there must be replacement of "the most culpable in leadership roles" and that "contracts with administrators that do not meet (Florida Department of Education) standards -- or who knowingly violated school policy or procedures --should not be renewed." Unfortunately, it has not been school district policy to sanction employees who violate established procedures. There has never been any negative reinforcement, penalties, for inept or rogue employees.

You rightly praise Superintendent Joseph Burke for "making steady progress in revamping the school district administration" in a variety of ways. However, I believe that your observation that Burke has been "appropriately disciplining employees" misses the mark.

Beyond the salary reduction of one administrator and the forced retirement of the former finance director and the former credit card administrator, initiatives that Burke had little choice but to take, I am unfamiliar with other disciplinary actions taken by the superintendent. And, should the two disciplined employees win their whistle-blower lawsuits, Burke's effort will be moot.

I believe that the jury is out as to whether the superintendent and CFO Michael Kinneer have the fortitude to take decisive disciplinary action against employees who violate the public trust, regardless of reason. The school district's findings will tell us a lot as to whether it is a new day in the Henriquez Building, or whether it will be more business as usual.

Larry Murray

Big Pine Key