Letters to the Editor - The Millerton News - 2-23-23

PCU is more like partial care than progressive care

I‘ve been following the debate regarding the closing of the Intensive Care Unit in favor of a Progressive Care Unit at the Sharon Hospital.  Google says “Progressive Care” is a step down from an ICU. However, without an ICU in the Sharon Hospital, where will serious accident and critical care victims step down to?  Progressive care is not Intensive care.  Progressive Care is wrongly named — it should be called Partial Care. Partial Care facilities cannot handle patients in need of Intensive Care. Patients will have to be shipped elsewhere, further endangering their health.

As a past user of Sharon Hospital ER/ICU (it probably saved my life), here are my questions.

Where will patients go who immediately need intensive care in an ICU?  How will they get there?  Who pays for the transportation?  For example, I’ve heard speculation that patients might be shipped by helicopter to a distant ICU at a cost of $85,000.  Who will pay for that?

Who’s supporting Partial Care, aka, Progressive Care?  In my brief look at the supporters, many seem to have monetary or other ties to Nuvance.  I assume the Board of Directors receive some compensation?  Several staff employees of Nuvance have sent letters in support of a Partial Care Unit.  They are obviously being paid by Nuvance.  It’s rumored that employees of Nuvance have to sign employment agreements that they cannot criticize Nuvance or risk termination.  Is that true?  Is that transparency?   

The PCU argument provides stark evidence that in medicine today the Hippocratic Oath is being replaced by a spread sheet.

Bob Maxwell

Sharon

Thanks for support of Fire Company

On Sunday, Feb. 19, the Amenia Fire Company returned with our annual Pancake Breakfast after a three-year hiatus. We were pleased to have a huge crowd of 263 people in attendance for our first meal back.

We rely on the breakfasts to raise needed money for general operations and we always appreciate the support of the community.

We thank everyone who attended our event and we hope to see you again for the next one on March 26.

Andy Murphy

On behalf of the
Breakfast Committee
of the Amenia Fire Co. and Auxiliary

Amenia