HEALTH
Public must be able to interpret the data
Regarding “State health officials can’t track hospital-related infections” (ajc.com, Aug. 21), this article brings to light an important issue regarding the lack of information publicly available on infection rates in Georgia hospitals. However, when Georgia does enact public reporting of infection data, educating the public on how to interpret this data is critically important. Infection rates alone do not provide the public with the context needed to make informed use of hospital infection data.
There are many different types and causes of infections. They must be viewed and interpreted against the type of patients a hospital typically serves, the patient’s underlying conditions and the nature of the organism. Great strides are being made in understanding and preventing health care-associated infections — but there are still many confounding and contradictory study results, case reports and interpretations.
While hospital executives, researchers and industry focus on infection prevention, it is important to provide the public with educational tools enabling useful interpretation of the data.
Wava Truscott, director, Medical Sciences and Clinical Education, Kimberly-Clark Health Care
EQUALITY
Women’s voice must be as powerful as men’s
Power to the patriarchy. The dropping of charges against Dominique Strauss-Kahn demonstrates that the equality of women (especially poor women) is a farce.
It is curious that Nafissatou Diallo’s credibility has been questioned — but not Strauss-Kahn’s. Once again, power and position have contorted the “justice” system.
Our world will never function effectively until women have as powerful a voice as men in the shaping of all levels of society. For now, one more woman’s voice is likely to be silenced. Aimee Wise, Decatur
taxes
All should learn what GOP really stands for
For years, the GOP has been trying to justify tax breaks for the rich based on the false claim that to make the rich pay more “costs jobs.” If that were true, we’d have full employment from the Bush tax cuts for the rich. Instead, we have double-digit unemployment; sorry wages, outsourcing, union busting and corporations hogging tons of cash.
Now, when President Barack Obama tries to help the average worker, the GOP stands in the way and wants taxes raised on the average worker — but not the rich, of course.
Hopefully, the ill-informed masses will realize what the GOP really stands for, and vote these radical “Marie Antoinettes” out of office.
D.M. Smith, Marietta
POLITICS
Thanks for info on Perry; now tell us about Obama
Thank you for the recent coverage of Gov. Rick Perry. Following his announcement to run for president, you told us all about him, including his college transcript and his GPA.
I suggest you do the same for President Barack Obama. His background is still a mystery.
James Martin, Marietta
