HEALTH CARE
State can find a way to treat dialysis patients
Shame on Georgia! When Jackson Health System in Florida stopped paying for outpatient dialysis for 175 poor patients — uninsured, underinsured and undocumented — CEO Brian Keeley said let’s do a private-public partnership. Three Florida hospitals came together as partners to give life-saving dialysis treatment to the 175 patients. The hospitals, local and private caregivers are working on a long-term plan that will treat indigent kidney patients.
The Grady dialysis patients and all who care about saving lives cry out to our Georgia hospitals, Emory Hospital and Emory Health Care System, clinics, private dialysis companies, faith-based community and our elected officials to step up like Florida, to share in the care of these dialysis patients.
Surely each hospital, clinic and dialysis company can adopt a few patients to give this life–sustaining treatment. Surely Emory can research best practice methods for the care of these patients and assist with screening these patients for peritoneal dialysis which dialysis patients can be educated to do at home, saving time and cost.
Surely we are as caring, just, ethical, innovative and as human as our sister state Florida. These former Grady patients cannot live without their scheduled dialysis treatments. Surely Georgia does not want to be known as the state that could not take care of its own but instead let them all die.
Dorothy Leone-Glasser, RN, president, Advocates for Responsible Care
HEALTH CARE
Sense of entitlement pervasive these days
Cynthia Tucker’s recent comments provided insight on today’s entitlement society in America (“Reform likely to help adult kids,” Opinion, Jan. 13). When I was growing up, if a person had not left their parents to go out on their own by the time they were 21, they were considered “deadbeats.” Imagine being 26 and relying on your parents to support you and cover your health insurance. That is a travesty. And, if you can afford to go to graduate school, you certainly can afford to purchase health insurance, if you are so inclined. I bought my first health insurance when I was employed only because I was raising a family — it was not provided by my employer and I didn’t expect the company to provide it. What Tucker is describing is an entitlement society full of those who are afraid to go out on their own. No wonder the country is getting to be a less and less vibrant and exciting nation. Fred Hahn, Roswell
SECOND AMENDMENT
License doesn’t ensure stability of gun owner
Did the accused in the Penske killings have a license to carry a weapon? This is important, since the state Legislature is about to legislate the “right” to carry concealed weapons in schools and other places. I suspect that some licensed gun owners are mentally unstable — and that this is not discernible in the application process.
I notice the news media never mentions the gun licensing of the perpetrator when there is any kind of gun crime. This should be reported any time there is a gun crime.
C. A. Miller, Atlanta