Saturday, August 09, 2008

A Silver Lining...

Thank God that there is a silver lining in most dark clouds. Most of us strive to improve our communities in some way for the present, and future generations, while others do nothing but, criticize, lie, and down those that do.

First, let me commend the three new School Board Members, Evelyn Gordon Murray, Board President, George R. Walker, and Lester Walker who has demonstrated that they have the, ambition, ability, and courage to deal with today’s complex problems that our schools face. To those members who are still part of this board who consistently made poor decisions in the past, turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the dangers, and problems that consistently plagued our schools I, respectfully suggest to you that you find the same courage that you did in the past years in making poor decisions that you somehow find the same courage to follow in the same foot steps as the superintendent.

Again, I commend the new members of the Leland School Board who seems to be headed in the right direction. Gods speed.

James W. Lowe, Sr.

Just got back from vacation and it seems that much has transpired in my absence. Congratulations to the people of Leland who obviously rallied together to seek a positive change for their children's education. Good job!

Having been out of the loop for a while, I am not sure what is going on at Bolivar Medical Center. I had heard about the CEO's resignation, but nothing about others being "let go". Personnel issues are generally kept confidential.


As for DRMC, 15 RFIs is not good and I believe that may place them on "conditional accreditation". The Joint Commission has really gotten more strict over the past five years and it is no longer a mere "paper survey"... which is a good thing for all of us. No, the doors won't close and DRMC will be given an opportunity to correct many of the problems that were identified.

Bamboo? There is an interesting idea. While on vacation on the west coast, I noticed that bamboo has become quite trendy among homeowners. I visited friends who are Realtors and they shared stories of the growing popularity of this once considered "nuisance crop". The wood derived from bamboo is quite beautiful as a floor product; however, the down side is that no one is allowed to walk on it (with shoes, that is).

Anyway, it is good to be back in the Delta. Sorry, for disappearing, but we all need a vacation from time to time. It seems that readers have kept the Scoop very much alive!

Forthright

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

In August, 2007 Forthright wrote:

"As a health care professional, I can speak to the efficacy of the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO). This is a national accreditation that is purchased by a hospital. It costs the hospital between $30 to $60K for them to say that you meet their standards. Although recently revised, it is still largely a paper survey in which you are privy to the "right" answers at the time of purchase. It would be ludicrous to fail and certainly in neither party's interest.

Every hospital wants this accreditation for reimbursement reasons and 96% of all hospitals achieve it. Do they monitor the daily activities of hospitals? No. Does this accreditation mean that the hospital is safe? No. It merely means that the hospital has learned to jump through a series of bureaucratic hoops in order to hang a plaque in the lobby... bought and paid for".

In August, 2008 Forthright wrote:

"As for DRMC, 15 RFIs is not good and I believe that may place them on "conditional accreditation". The Joint Commission has really gotten more strict over the past five years and it is no longer a mere "paper survey"...which is a good thing for all of us. No, the doors won't close and DRMC will be given an opportunity to correct many of the problems that were identified".

Delta Scoop Diehards,
I think your oracle is having short term memory problems.

Anonymous said...

So, when DRMC was fully accredited by JCAHO, it was a "paper survey" that could be bought. However, when DRMC receives citations, all of a sudden JCAHO becomes a serious regulatory entity.

Anonymous said...

DRMC's accreditation with JCAHO is not in jeopardy. Unless you are familiar with the regs and rules, you have no clue on how serious or frivolous a citation is. Many are documentation issues only.

Anonymous said...

who will be taking allyson's place? i've heard courtney or mazie whalen.

Anonymous said...

Mazie is the new DON.

Anonymous said...

Mazie as the new DON is a joke. She is and has been the biggest "Yes" person in the hospital for years. She will do and say whatever Ray wants from her. All she is doing is riding out her time until retirement. She does not provide any real direction or leadership for the nursing department.

Anonymous said...

You can say what you want, but Mazie maintained the Chief Clinical as well as chief nursing role in the Joint Commission survey last week, and the surveyors told DRMC that they "did not observe problems in direct patient care". Go figure. Just because a person is ladylike, dignified, polite, and Christian does not mean she is "just a yes person". Mrs. Whalen was appointed to the MS State Board of nursing 2 years ago. Go figure. Mazie Whalen knows and has experienced more about JCAHO, standards, nursing, hospital administration, not to mention prejudice, and discrimination, than most of us will ever HAVE to know. And somehow she still manages to treat people with respect and conduct herself with dignity. Go figure. Any business or community could stand more people like Mazie.
Sign me...a fan at 10pm

Anonymous said...

Amen

Anonymous said...

Double Amen! Ms. Whalen is a very kind, fair, and ethical person. She has been a devoted and loyal employee of DRMC for many years. I personally have considered it a privilege to know and work with her. I think she is an excellent choice for CNO and the perfect person to represent and promote the nursing profession within the hospital, community, and at the Board of Nursing. Enough said.

Anonymous said...

How can you give all the credit to Mazie since she just took over the DON role from AW? I guess AW did a lot better job than you give her credit for since she has been gone for less than a month and the nursing department did so well with JCAHO. If things were in such a mess not even the amazing Mazie could have corrected a bunch of problems in such a short amount of time! You can still be nice and courteous and a fine Christian while saying "yes" everytime you need to just to keep your bosses happy.

Anonymous said...

Ummm, the last time I checked Allyson was not the "DON" for very long herself.

Anonymous said...

Amazing Mazie? Her former boss, B. Adams is the reason for her success. She rode on Barbara's coat tail for years. Ray got rid of Barbara cuz she was not his "yes sir" player. Mazie is. I, personally, don't hold any resentment for Mazie myself, but I don't think she is as wonderful (or as smart) as most folks do. Not a big Ally fan either, but i can tell you - out of all of 'em - AW was the smartest by far. And, JCAHO was ok not because of AW or MW but because of those nurses who work twelve hour shifts, holidays, nights, weekends and take care of patients everyday. They are the backbone. And, by the way, I think Ray is good friends with one of our "supervisors" who is good friends with Haley B. I'm thinking thats why MW was appointed to the Board of Nursing.

Anonymous said...

You have no clue as to Mazie's integrity. She cares about the PATIENT. Whatever it takes to take care of the patient. No politics, no frills. Sure, there are things that we all have to do in our lives to play along, we all need a job, but to questions Mazie's ability, knowledge, or education is just plain asinine.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, Haley Barbour likes Ray so much that he is doing everything he can to HELP DRMC or its employees? I think not.

Anonymous said...

Apparently you are not aware of the role Ms. Whalen has played in JCAHO for many many years. She is very familiar with the JCAHO standards. Not only is she very knowledgeable in the clinical nursing area, she is also very informed in the ancillary departments of DRMC. She has the capability of looking outside of the box in order to objectively see the entire picture. Ms. Adams was a wonderful CNO and she had a great deal of respect for Ms. Whalen and always gave her the recognition she deserved for her dedication and hard work.

Ms. Adams had some wonderful advice: "Sometimes you have to pick and choose your battles." I have a feeling Ms. Whalen probably feels the same way.

Yes, AW is very smart. Her goal is to be a CEO, not a CNO. Enough said about that.

As for "yes" people, the person that AW replaced probably set nursing back about 15 years by destroying the collaborative relationships of doctors and nurses. From what I understand, her judgment of character hasn't been too keen either.

Regardless of who is CNO, there are a few people working very hard to instruct the staff on JCAHO standards. The nursing staff should be commended for their efforts in maintaining these standards.

Anonymous said...

Let's not all forget that the hospital is surveyed and inspected by many agencies, including the state of MS. And yhese departments all do well.

Anonymous said...

okay, even I have had enough of the DRMC rhetoric. Time will tell who is right or wrong, in the meanwhile, CAN WE PLEASE MOVE ON TO OTHER SUBJECTS?????? PUH-LEEZE!

Anonymous said...

Alrighty, how about the Mayor of Greenville going part time? Mayor Hudson has opened her own law practice in her dad's old location. She will be working half days as Mayor and the other as an attorney.....questions to be answered...how does this affect Greenville? what about the bodyguards, are they to be paid City tax dollars, while she is at her law practice?? How much of her law office expenses and business traveling will end up being covered by the City???....As full time Mayor she was/is pretty awful, part time????? Well that might be an improvement in the long run!LOL Let Councilmen Gines or McGee take the second shift, we might have a chance with her out of pocket!

Anonymous said...

With all her "traveling", she was/is already a part time Mayor, or should I say an Absent Mayor??
Either way, the good news is when she has left the building to all the employees at City Hall!ROFLMAO!

Anonymous said...

I thought this topic was about how the school board has made positive changes in the school system of Leland. It seems as though this topic has jumped to another topic. Now the topic is focusing on the mayor. Whoa, what do we tell our children when they are reading the main topic of a story? "Comprehend It!!!" LOL

Anonymous said...

We tell them to "keep up"!LOL

Anonymous said...

Your children are reading the blog? Why?

Anonymous said...

obama is down in the poles

Anonymous said...

? Where did this come from? Better pray Obama wins, if not, let the Bush legacy continue!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

In the poles? In the POLES? Oh, please.

Anonymous said...

If Obama wins you should pack your bags and move immediately.

Anonymous said...

Was that the North Pole or South Pole?

Anonymous said...

Any pole would be better than staying here with Osama oops, I meant Obama!!!

Anonymous said...

The statement was "down in the poles" - must mean the South Pole!

Anonymous said...

How about a pole cat??? Would be a better fit.

Anonymous said...

Here is a new topic. I was shocked to see in the DDT today pictures of the Greenville Public School teachers and right up in the middle of them is the teacher who was accused in Leland of touching a female student. This is the teacher Dr. Richards with all her wisdom let resign instead of call in the authorities like she is legally supposed to do. So now he can do the same thing to some poor Greenville children because Dr. Richards is smarter and above the law. Some day I hope she and this man get their just rewards. She wouldn't be so flip if that had been on of her grandchildren!

Anonymous said...

Yep, it sure would be better if McPain, I meant McCain wins. I mean we would be richer!!!!! woooohooooo.