Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 2-2-23

Supporting PCU at Sharon Hospital

As the Chief Nursing Officer at Sharon Hospital who has been at the hospital for 9 years, I have spent much of my career in critical care, starting as a frontline ICU nurse at the bedside. As a proud member of the Sharon Hospital family, I would like to share my support for the hospital’s plan to establish a Progressive Care Unit (PCU). Both as a longtime RN, and through my role now as the leader of Sharon Hospital’s nurses, I am excited to see the opportunities this co-location could bring to our team.

Our nurses are already incredibly skilled, and centralizing our critical care and medical­ surgical teams will only allow them to be more efficient in providing five-star patient care. It will also provide new opportunities   — those most experienced in critical care can mentor their colleagues and foster development within our facility. At the same time, this centralization will equip all nurses with more support in their day-to-day jobs. Where we currently run two distinct teams, with a distinct set of resources and support staff, we will now be united as one. This means each of our nurses will see more flexibility and resources as they continue providing excellent care to our patients.

This plan will allow us to provide the same level of care, in a unified model with the potential to enhance the patient experience. The PCU will be designed to keep patients in the same unit with a more consistent care team throughout their time at Sharon Hospital, rather than moving them between units as they are stabilized and ready for the next step of their care journey.

While the impacts on patient care will be minimal, the benefits for our internal team will be significant and will ultimately create a more seamless, effective experience for our patients, while helping position our hospital for long-term strength and success. I ask our community to learn the facts of this proposal, and join me in my support of the planned PCU.

Dawn Woodruff, MSN,RN

Chief Nursing Officer Sharon Hospital

Sharon

So many challenges in our world

While many have heard online from respectable firms that there may be ways to predict earlier than normally heard on the media how certain stocks will do with analyzing software for more of the public and not only those who manage the much greater investment funds, many people have not.

That’s a new idea to some people who have tried following programs over the years, to get advice. More women helping women or communities helping one another to understand the way the markets work as well as ways to join in learning over time could prove a meaningful boost managing budgets personally and in wider circles.

With people scrambling to comprehend the enormous needs for adequate basic housing and living costs, many do not feel they can plan for the future or take time to understand the care needs and costs for living at home or in a facility. Each path holds many questions so teams of support and helping people think things through as well as have ‘transitional and short-term support’ for six months or more would be helpful for each age group.

I try to bridge gaps in understanding by exploring what people are facing as individuals as well as with their natural social support systems whether family, friends, community or wider support online or from over a lifetime. It’s not a level playing field as many are drawing attention to the historic and current gaps between the ‘haves and the have-nots’, Education, opportunity and wealth are closely linked to where one lives and what services are available over many years.

That concerns from all that Black Lives Matter issues has helped more states and communities pay attention to leveling the playing field. However, there are still huge gaps.  A horrible setback occurred on Jan. 7, when a violent beating resulting in the death a few days later of  the young Black man Tyre Nichols by a number of Black police officers after a questionable traffic stop.

Only a few blocks from his home, he tried to escape after being beaten even though he said he did not know why they were stopping him or hurting him. While $500,000 has been raised in a fund so far, there will be much more to learn about the violations that allowed for such a crime to unfold with no aid rendered.

We need to step up our collective game and all we can do to help prevent tragedies and decline on many levels. Thanks to everyone looking to add more light and hope to the world, pursue their skills and dreams with teams of support to encourage others and include more people in the game of life with a sense of shared hope, learning, forgiveness, healing, accountability and success going into this important year and decade.

Catherine Palmer Paton

Falls Village

Bears won’t eat this way

I am writing in response to Craig Toensing’s letter to the editor regarding the food scrap collection pilot program recently approved in Falls Village.

To clarify, residents will bring their food scraps in BPI compostable bags to the transfer station and dispose of the bags in designated collection containers. These containers will be secured from bears and other wildlife until transported to a certified DEEP composting facility.

In the coming weeks, Falls Village residents will be receiving more information about the program, which will be starting in early March.

Tracey Wilson

Falls Village Transfer

Station Coordinator

Falls Village

Great vet story

Thank you for featuring (the first of two parts) the article on Bentley Veterinary Practice in The Lakeville Journal on Jan. 26. Elias Sorich has perfectly captured the essence of Dr. Isaac Angell, his staff and the practice.

My husband and I and our backyard flock of pet chickens are truly lucky to be under their care!

Paree and John Hecht

Sharon

My experience at Sharon Hospital

During the month of November, I was helping a friend in Millerton fixing a problem in the basement. When I noticed a bug attached to my arm, I quickly pulled it out and thought nothing of it. About two weeks later I was stricken with a high fever and could not move from my bed. I thought I had Covid, but after three tests that showed up negative my wife called Dr. Dweck in Amenia. He strongly directed me to go to the emergency room at Sharon Hospital.

When I arrived at the emergency room, I was seen very quickly and was seen by a nurse practitioner and a registered nurse who I found very knowledgeable and professional and compassionate. I was subjected to an I.V.,  X-rays and a blood test. And after a short while I was diagnosed with ehrlichiosis and admitted.

This is when my experience begins. I was simply amazed by the care I received at Sharon Hospital. I have been to city hospitals and never felt the care that I received there, it was like being in a private hospital.

The room was very clean, the nurses were excellent and efficient and the hospital doctor, Dr. Nair, was great! I spent five days there and did not want to leave! I found that Sharon hospital is a God-send to this area, and if you disagree, spend a night in a city hospital.

Angelo J. Prunella

Sharon