One year later…
Interesting that DRMC made this blog off-limits to employees. Perhaps I should take some pleasure that this effort is viewed as a threat by corporate...but then again, one reality of the situation is that so many posters here keep saying that we are short-staffed, yet there is obviously a lot of time spent here on "company time". That doesn't compute.
Regardless, things are happening at DRMC that have the potential to change things for the better. The biggest opportunity that we have is the new CEO, Mr. Humphrey. It’s been my experience that he is starting out by showing an interest in the departments and the individual employees that we haven’t seen in some time. I stand by my thought that, regardless of what our past experience has been, we need to give this guy a chance to start fresh and make a difference. Other changes in leadership at a couple of levels will have an impact on the way we do things internally.
There has been a lack of public news about DRMC in recent weeks…perhaps due to the election, as some posters have suggested. Whatever the case, I’ve slowed down on news postings simply because there haven’t been real substantive things to talk about. The downside of that is that it leaves room for unbridled gossip and supposition, but we’re never going to change those that will visit here for that purpose only.
So….as the blog reaches its first anniversary (who woulda thunk) with 44,000 visits and 140,000 page views, I have started to take a hard look at the purpose that it has served over the past month and what its role should be in the future. The idea presented itself, briefly, that we had gotten mired in the mud and it should be put out of its misery. Not sure if that’s totally the case…there is still value here.
So stay tuned, and we’ll see where we go from here.
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37 comments:
Happy Birthday Sentinel Event. I am so proud. I would never have thought that this website would be more publicized around the world than it has. Congrats. I hope there is more to come.
--Warren
Where is the Healthcare Leadership Council? Has there been any reports from them, or does the Council no longer exist?
The Healthcare Leadership Council does exist. From what I have heard, they are trying to finalize membership. Can't remember seeing any recent news about them though.
Read through city council minutes and the last note I see about the Council was on Sept 4.
"on the construction site at Country Club Drive.
Dr. Williams announced the Healthcare Leadership Council would meet on Thursday, September 13, in the 2nd Floor Conference Room, City Hall, for its organizational meeting."
The R&B didn't cover the meeting, for some reason. The last article about the Council was on Sept 7. See the post on this blog "The Next Step".
The Citizens Commission website no longer exists on the city website.
We're slowly losing our transparency on this issue.
SE: Is there a way to contact you directly by email? Thanks, Henry.
SE, wherever this eventually leads, I hope you know the power of what this blog has accomplished. I personally feel a lot of what has been accomplished at DRMC was a result of what was exposed on here. Of course while being anonymous brings out some nuts who got off topic, it also allowwed many people to expose isssues that would have otherwise remained hidden. I know for a fact that a lot of people at other lfpt facilities benefitted from what was on here, and corresponded with a few who were at facilities lfpt was looking at buying, a couple of those were able to intervene in time to save themselves. Good job and Happy Birthday.
Steve
Henry,
drmcanon@hotmail.com
SE
Heard on the news today that the Healthcare Leadership Council met. Maybe we'll have some coverage tomorrow where we can learn more.
Attention all concerned !!! Please reference the Letters to the Editor column for today, Friday 11-09-07 in the Danville Register and Bee (www.registerbee.com). David W Gray, Sr's letter offers a CALL TO ARMS for all concerned patrons, employees, and residents who believe we have been left less-than-whole after the BOYS AT THE BANK AND CAR DEALERSHIP AND OIL COMPANY decided to sell our hospital that WE and our PARENTS/GRANDPARENTS paid for.
He volunteers to PERSONALLY put the necessary time in to acquire enough signatures to force the re-purchase of the Hospital with the $200 million in funds the BOYS AT THE BANK took from us when they sold OUR hospital in order to invest in their own personal special-interest charities (i.e., Chatham's community center operated by the pastor at the church the OIL COMPANY owner attends).
I believe that there definitely is enough support in our communities to force this issue. However, Mr. Gray is wrong about one aspect. There is no legal way to force the re-purchase; we cannot force a company to sell when it does not want to sell.
However, 50,000 or more sigantures is quite another thing. It, alone, forces every single political operative and elected official in our area to stand up and take notice of the PUBLIC WILL. It will force those same politicos to privately consult with the BOYS AT THE BANK AND THE CAR DEALERSHIP AND THE OIL COMPANY and tell them that they must sell!!!
It will force them to negotiate with Lifepoint who is probably a VERY WILLING SELLER at this point, considering their history with us.
The KEY, as Mr Gray points out is the over-whelming unity of the public that the hospital serves. There can be no division; we must stand together! And, this time, we need to ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING instead of just talking or writing posts! We need to get signatures on petitions! That will trip the action needed!
If you believe what I am saying, and, if you're willing to do something about it (ACTION), post back to this and let me know. I will arrange a meeting (either real or on-line) where we can start the process.
When you post back, review previous posts so that you can leave me an IDENTIFIER NUMBER that is different from any others left by previous post-ers. I suggest an IDENTIFIER NUMBER such as your Community plus a number. Examples:
Ringgold 1
Blairs 2
Northside2
Yanceyville 1
That way, I/we can respond to you individually with assignments, etc without publicly identifying you on this site. And PLEASE remember the IDENTIFIER you choose!
BUY IT BACK NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Could the city use imminent domain with the signatures?
I remember a year ago when a friend showed me this blog. I wondered then where things would go. I was optimistic and supportive and did my best to do what I thought was right. LifePoint continued to disappoint me on every turn. I found good strong staff members kept leaving, I kept hearing horrible stories and real sentinel events occurring, I saw incompetent managers being ploace din leadership roles and the senior management showing no understanding or appreication of the contributions of those of us who were honestly trying to improve a bad situation. There were many reasons why I left but the biggest reason was for my own good. I have since found a position in which I am supported and appreciated. I feel I make a difference in my patient's lives and care and am contributing to organizational success. My entire life has imporved beyond measure. We as a community need to see this hospital survive but each and every employee who calls that place their home needs to know it will get better.
Happy Day, SE!! You have done a great service for DRMC employees and the public at large. Keep up the good work.
RE: the healthcare leadership council...I didn't see anything on the R&B website, but WAKG did post their story. Wonder if anyone is going to offer minutes from the meetings in a public forum...
"(DANVILLE) -- THE HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL HELD ITS SECOND MEETING THIS WEEK. THAT'S THE GROUP APPOINTED TO WORK WITH LIFEPOINT TO IDENTIFY AND ADDRESS ANY HEALTH CARE ISSUES THAT ARISE AT DANVILLE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER. CHAIRMAN DON NODTVEDT SAYS THE COUNCIL WAS ESPECIALLY PLEASED TO RECEIVE THE REPORT FROM THE JOINT COMMISSION, ACCREDITING THE HOSPITAL FACILITY AS WELL AS ITS HOME HEALTH CARE PROGRAM. HE SAYS THEY SEE IT AS "TANGIBLE AND INDEPENDENT VALIDATION" FROM AN OUTSIDE SOURCE OF THE WORTH OF DRMC IN THE COMMUNITY. NODTVEDT SAYS THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE COUNCIL IS TO WORK WITH THE HOSPITAL TO REGAIN THE COMMUNITY'S TRUST IN THE FACILITY."
Here's the letter that lowrider2k referenced above:
"I’ll work to get it done
To the editor:
I am writing about the serious situation we still have in Danville regarding Danville Regional Medical Center and local physicians.
More and more physicians continue to abandon our local hospital. Dr. Wayne Williams has announced he is leaving for greener pastures in Georgia. Dr Jack Spainhour and his Internal Medicine Group will no longer work in the hospital and will not see patients admitted there. As we know, Williams is the mayor of Danville and has led the inquiry into our hospital.
Our hospital was sold in the dark of night. Everyone I know was shocked at such a sudden decision - with no prior notice to the community - by a select few individuals.
Many of our parents supported the old Memorial Hospital of Danville. During the 1950s and 1960s, local people gave money from their meager salaries at Dan River Inc. and other employers. Now, the hospital has been sold to an out-of-state, for-profit organization that has sent us several administrators so far.
The committee Williams formed has apparently solved nothing and everyone is whistling Dixie.
I will be more than glad to assist anyone with the legal knowledge to force a sale back to the community using the $200 million profit from the hospital sale. We should do this so Danville and the regional community will have a hospital that will stop the hemorrhaging our physicians to far away places, not to mention citizens abandoning the hospital due to preconceived notions - true or not - of a bad hospital here.
If it requires 50,000 signatures, I can and will devote at least two days per week, along with other volunteers, in getting 50,000 citizens to sign the necessary papers to force a sale of the hospital back to the community. If it requires 100,000 signatures I will work toward that goal, also. I’m willing to do whatever is necessary to accomplish the goal of taking the hospital back from LifePoint Hospitals Inc. I think many citizens would volunteer to accomplish this goal.
DAVID W. GRAY SR.
Danville"
More nurses are leaving ,I hear ICU is down to 11 ,except for travelers,with 3-5 more leaving .
One other floor had all travelers and no regular staff, and can you believe the garbage about the hospitalists in the R&B, they are the worst, bad command of english, bad attitude, and very bad judgement.
We're glad you've been here to try to save what's left of this place, it's not a hospital anymore it's a quagmire of paperwork that other facilities aren't dealing with, and has nothing to do with patient care.
Hopefully you'll be around to celebrate the new glorious day (as I will not)when it finally collapses and a respectable facility buys DRMC before this mess kills too many more people or someone loses their license.
YES YOU ARE RIGHT HUMPHREY DOES STAND BY THIS EMPLOYEE'S. I WAS TOLD THAT AT ONE OF HIS PERVIOUS JOBS THAT HE STOOD BEHIND ONE OF HIS EMPLOYEES THAT SHE FILED A SEXUAL HARNESMENT SUITE AGAINST HIM. I'LL BET YOU HE WANT BE HERE A YEAR...ANOTHER LIFE POINT LOSER..
Could we all chip in and find this poor poster a speel checker?
Just a note, SE. DRMC did not block the blogger.com website, HCA did. The rational being that this site (blogger.com) as well as blogspot.com were blocked due to potentially being security risks.
Let us not forget HCA is the proven fraudulent company that spawned lifepoint to get out of trouble with the Government.
Good lord...if you'd just let the HCA thing go. You know so little about which you speak. The issue is now, not 1998. Come to the light.
Look at the computer screens in DRMC, HCA. The parent company of lifepoint, HCA.
After hours sdministration, HCA.
Still being audited by the U.S. Government, HCA and lifepoint.
Do a little research ,
The issue is NOW.
Yeah and the strong-arm business tactics they use came from 1958.
Computer systems- 1988, etc.
LIFEPOINT IS A DEADLY PROBLEM.
Sounds like a scene from the book 1984. Your paranoia is amazing...and sickening.
Paranoia is when you think falsely that something is happening ,
The lifepoint threat is happening , Try taking care of patients under this lifepoint menace, and if you are and you don't see a problem , frightening
Do you Lifepoint idiots think that you are changing anybody's mind with your rebuttals after every post criticizing Lifepoint? You will never win friends and influence people with your arrogant attitudes. You change peoples' minds with actions and so far I don't see any actions' just reactions.
So would it surprise you to know that i'm not a "lifepoint person" (or "idiot" as you put it)? Simply a local observer that hopes outside folk won't judge us by the majority of posts they see here. I don't draw one red cent from Lifepoint.
You may not draw "one red cent", but I bet if the truth be known, you have a vested interest (monetarily) in DRMC (LifePoint) somewhere???
Guess you wouldn't know the truth if it stared you in the face because the answer to both your suppositions is emphatically (and truthfully) no.
Did anyone notice that anytine there's a post that even sounds half-way intelligent it gets blamed on a LifePoint fool? Doesn't that mean we're actually saying we're dumb after all?
No.
It means we're fighting stupidity with (generally ) the truth.
Dumb would be not recognizing the life threatening environment caused by lifepoint.
Is "generally" being truthful like "generally" being pregnant?
No. pregnancy can be controlled (abstinence is absolute) The stupidity of individuals cannot, the stupidity of lifepoint could be controlled by Danville city council if they had the guts.
Truthfully, it is not a supposition!
Heard the boys in the Tennessee office get a chuckle out of this blog. Heard they laugh regularily.
Heard the new CNO might be getting her fill of LPNT already. Any truth to that?
Most of us laugh...not limited to Tennessee.
Laughing at the destruction of the only healthcare in a struggling city due to corporate and individual greed of a few "businessmen" shows a complete and total fool.
Only laughing at the blog, nothing else.
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