The op-ed piece that I wrote in response to issues at Down East Community Hospital was published in the Bangor Daily News and the two local weekly papers this week (Sept 18 for the BDN). It's below:
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Proposing a meaningful response to hospital's woes
By Katherine Cassidy
In the 1981 movie "Absence of Malice" a frightened young woman whose
secret has been exposed by an aggressive reporter tiptoes up the
sidewalks of residential Miami in the early morning, gathering freshly
delivered newspapers from the doorsteps in a desperate effort to put
the stopper back in the bottle.
Eric Russell's Sept. 8 article on the Down East Community Hospital in
Machias reminded me of that scene.
DECH administrators are learning what other public figures already
know — once a pot is stirred, ignoring it will not stop the water from
boiling. A meaningful response is in order.
With about 250 employees and an $11 million annual payroll, DECH is
Washington County's largest employer. It is a "community" hospital and
its actions are in the spotlight. Now, we in the Sunrise County wait
for more sunlight to shine on this institution, sunlight that will
heal rather than scorch.
Regardless of why Reid Emery died in the snow last winter, regardless
of the reasons for the departure of several doctors and many staff,
the public desperately needs to regain confidence and trust in DECH as
a prominent health care facility.
Lacking public trust, the hospital will no longer attract quality
staff and medical professionals. The community will no longer be a
safe place to which retirees will relocate and where young families
will continue to reside.
I propose a new, collaborative approach to this problem. First,
hospital and community leaders should immediately form a hospital work
group of 12 people. Area town selectmen will choose seven volunteers.
The hospital board will designate five people. This group will convene
public meetings outside the hospital, accept public input and report
back to the DECH trustees with specific recommendations.
The work group would respect the privacy of individuals and the
confidentiality of employees' records and patient files protected
under state and federal law. The work group would look at policy and
public relations and not at pending lawsuits.
Second, form a permanent advisory group — other than the hospital's
incorporators that meet annually. Two other mainstays of Washington
County — the University of Maine at Machias and the Washington County
Sheriff's Department — both operate with advisory groups to keep them
connected with the communities they serve.
The university's Board of Visitors, which meets quarterly, has 18
members who bring different perspectives from their community roles.
They meet directly with the university president, review financial
figures and hear straight talk from her. All this takes a half-day,
four times a year. Of course, it's a surface overview of how things
are going, but it is a time for board members to ask questions. Does
the university president listen to suggestions and respond directly?
You bet she does.
Similarly, the Blue Ribbon Committee has been a mechanism for regular
public input to the sheriff's department since Donnie Smith took
office in January 2007. Working with a group of volunteer Washington
County residents has been a valuable change for the sheriff's office,
which had its own image and operational problems previously. The
public has been well-served by this advisory committee.
For DECH to take these actions would be a step in the right direction.
The public hue and cry will not go away by hospital administrators'
turning a blind eye to it. Bad publicity, once out, cannot simply be
lifted off the doorsteps and retracted into oblivion.
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Katherine Cassidy of Machias is a candidate for the Maine House in
District 32, representing Cutler, Eastport, Lubec, Machias,
Machiasport, Roque Bluffs and Whiting.
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