ECM: Human Life/DHR: Inhuman Tactics

We're bringing you a commentary on some recent events at ECM Hospital in Florence. We do know from others that layoffs continue. Other staff is lost to attrition.

Nurses? Floor nursing is strictly a young person's game, at least in this area. Why? We understand the nurse to patient ratio would be unacceptable in most areas. Check out the mandated nurse:patient ratio in California...than ask your floor nurse what his/her daily patient load is. It just might surprise you. (Hint: Be sure to ask at Shoals Hospital concerning night shifts.)

From a reader:

Regional Care wants to build a new multimillion dollar building.  It's going to be great for the economy of the Shoals area, and provide excellent medical care to the community and beyond. So tell me this, how is that going to happen when they keep laying people off?  So far this month they have laid off 2 registered nurses, 2 plant operations workers, 2 respiratory therapists.  That isn't counting the other positions they have done away with and told the nurses they could take a severance package, or apply for another position if one were available.  Regional claims they want to be employer of choice, and they expect complete loyalty from employees and staff.  Yet this is how they treat employees.

Administration has cut the number of nurses allowed to work for the given number of patients, yet we are constantly told to keep patients happy so they will give give good satisfaction scores. The public needs to understand that hospital care is not hotel care. Administration needs to understand that it isn't a sale they lose when the staff is minimal, but human life.

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Now let's return to the wonderful world of Alabama DHR. We've focused on the blog Stop DHR Corruption before. Due to a number of recent comments, we returned to the blog to find many more local complaints against DHR in general and Judge Billy Jackson specifically.

We're not going to address all these complaints today. We will address two issues. Yes, we supported Billy Jackson in the last election. It was a no-brainer--unless he hired his entire family, his personal lawn service, and the UNA Pride of Dixie Band, he couldn't have been worse than Judge Jimmy Sandlin in wasting tax payer money on cronies. Think Judge Sandlin didn't hire his cronies? He married one of his hires, didn't he?

We believe Judge Jackson to be a moral man. We don't know who, if anyone, will run against him in the next election. In today's world the law is like medicine, very specialized. Family court requires extensive knowledge, knowledge preferably gained before becoming a family court judge.

That being said, we know that family court produces very unhappy "losers." We don't believe every complaint is legitimate. Yet the number of complaints seems staggering. If you feel you've been wronged by any family court in Alabama, visit Kathleen Raskin's blog. Tell your story there, but more importantly, look over the links that allow you to file complaints. Telling us will not help you. Telling Mrs. Raskin may help you in the long run. Complaining now, as loudly and as often as possible, will generate change where needed.

Stop DHR Corruption

Shoalanda