Health care: Electronic records would be a boon

I have been an emergency physician in Atlanta for more than 25 years and can bear witness to the ineffective way we manage patient information mentioned in an AJC editorial ("Medical records in the new era," @issue, March 3).

We receive patients daily who have extensive, complex medical histories but can only guess at their medications and maladies while trying to treat their emergent conditions. I try to contact their physicians or get information from their last admissions at other hospitals but usually don't get anything in time to help in the medical decision-making process, and usually not at all. This could save lives and expedite care if we could see what diagnoses and procedures patients have had. It would eliminate extraneous procedures or admissions if we could see that folks have had certain tests done recently, ruling out the most life-threatening diagnoses.

This has become even more important as emergency departments and hospitals episodically get overwhelmed with patients and go "on diversion," meaning that the sickest patients coming by ambulance to their home hospitals get diverted to other facilities (because the ERs are full). Those hospitals then have to go through the process to figure out how to treat these new patients. I could go on about inefficiencies that plague our health care system, but the lack of useful patient information ranks at the top of the list. Now that the opportunity exists to try something new with federal dollars, we'd be crazy not to give it a shot.

Dr. STUART SEGERMAN

Segerman is past president of the Georgia College of Emergency Physicians.

Car-seizure bill an embarrassment

HB 978 would allow the seizure and forfeiture of vehicles from drivers considered not properly documented in traffic violations, and from any person knowingly allowing such persons to operate their vehicle.

To get your car back from impound, you would need to swear you didn't know someone's immigration status, forcing citizens to become some form of immigration agent for fear of losing their car when letting an immigrant friend drive.

Non-U.S. citizens have extensive rights to own property, something protected in both the U.S. and Georgia constitutions. There exists a prohibition for governments to seize private property without due process and forfeiture without just compensation. What's next, taking homes?

To prove some tough anti-immigrant posture to voters, Georgia would sacrifice important educational, trade and tourism opportunities we all depend on. Hopefully the Senate will save our state from international embarrassment that will prove costly and solve nothing.

ERIK VOSS, Decatur

Georgia lags inexcusably in mental health services for indigent

I have been working in Atlanta in health care for 23 years. I continue to be disturbed by the lack of mental health services for the indigent. What I have seen is excellent care available for those with money or insurance, but ineffective Band-Aid procedures, such as commitment to Georgia Regional for a few days, for those assessed as dangerous to themselves or others, and little or nothing for others with depression, addiction, psychosis and many other diagnoses.

I worked in mental health in Alabama before coming to Georgia. It surprises me that they have good mental health offices in most communities. I just read that Georgia is 43rd in the nation in mental health services. I am writing this because I feel like I have to do something and don't know what else to do.

CINDY SUTLIFF, Lawrenceville

Rhubarb fan says thanks for memories

I was saddened to learn that Rhubarb Jones (right) was let go from Eagle 106.7. I had been a loyal listener of Jones since high school. Every morning I turned my radio on to hear the greatest voice to grace the airwaves, and now he is gone. God bless you, Rhubarb Jones, in your future endeavors.

RUSTY TURNER, Conyers

Lesson plan for stormy days

As a public school teacher, I constantly hear the phrase from administrators that "this is what is best for the students." I am not sure this philosophy was considered in metro Atlanta the morning of Feb. 26 as thousands of students were at bus stops, on buses or in cars in dangerous weather conditions.

The storms that ravaged the metro area were well-tracked by the media as early as 5 a.m. There was adequate time for superintendents to make the correct judgment call to keep students out of harm's way, since 6 a.m. is usually the time these decisions are made. A simple contingency plan for a later school start time and delay of buses, handled by the media the same way winter storm alerts are, would have been the correct decision. If such a plan is not in place, there certainly should be one. We were lucky that no students were injured in such dangerous conditions. The loss of instructional time would be well worth the safety of the students.

KEVIN PATRICK, Atlanta

Jekyll Island falls victim to GOP and its corporate cohorts

In spite of tremendous public opposition, the Republican members of the Jekyll Island Authority have voted to whittle away a portion of Jekyll Island with unnecessary and unwanted condominiums and other developments along the beachfront. This giveaway is all about Republican politics solely for the benefit of Linger Longer Corp.

Regardless of their efforts to change the public's mind, I have not heard anyone, other than the corporation and its supporting Republican politicians, who is in favor of the developments proposed by Linger Longer. No doubt, this is politics as usual. What's good for the natural environment of Jekyll Island and those who enjoy its naturalness doesn't count for a thing in the eyes of those who only see money. Shame is not a word they know.

DENNIS RICE, Athens