Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 4-14-22

ED not closing at Sharon Hospital

Recently, we have seen an increase in concerns from patients who think our Emergency Department is closing or reducing its hours. I am writing today as the Medical Director for the Emergency Department and the Chief of Staff for Sharon Hospital to clarify misinformation and reassure the community that our Emergency Department remains open and ready to care for you and your family.

The planned updates and changes to Sharon Hospital will not impact the hours provided in our Emergency Department.  We remain open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year — and this will not change.

Since Sharon Hospital’s founding in 1909, our Emergency Department has been here to help patients in our region with everything from broken bones to heart attacks and strokes. We remain committed to fulfilling the legacy that began more than 100 years ago, while staying up-to-date with the most modern and advanced standards of care to ensure we can continue providing highly skilled care right here in the community.

On behalf of the entire ED team, I would like to thank our patients and neighbors for your unwavering support, especially over the past two years. We feel incredibly lucky to have the privilege to care for such a wonderful community.

Ron M. Santos, DO, JD

Medical Director,

Department of Emergency Medicine

Chief of Staff,

Sharon Hospital

Sharon

European energy independence: Dream or reality 

The recent events in Europe have shown once again how much ‘The Old Continent’ is vulnerable when it comes to energy. This dependence on imported energy (crude oil and gas) is a constant threat when it comes to European security and economic prosperity.

The EU is the world’s largest importer of energy. Crude oil is by far the largest imported energy product (69.8% of total EU energy imports), ahead of natural gas (19.3%). Almost 25% of its crude oil and 40% of its natural gas import comes from Russia (through Ukraine), making the EU highly dependable on Russian energy. If the EU wants to achieve energy independence, a few steps need to be done. For now, let us focus on the most important ones.

Right now, the EU needs a diversity of energy supply. We are speaking about investing in nuclear power plants, solar and wind clean energy, and shifting to the US liquefied natural gas. The USA is the world’s largest producer of liquefied natural gas (LNG). LNG is a form of natural gas that has been cooled and transported by ship. The only disadvantage is that this form of natural gas is often more expensive than the traditional gas transported by pipelines. The other thing is nuclear energy. France recently announced a massive build-up of its nuclear power potential which would make her less dependent on imports and even transform into a major European supplier of energy in the next decades.

The next thing on the list is renewable energy. As we speak more than 20% of Europe’s energy already comes from renewable (solar and wind). There is a target in the EU of 40% of energy coming from renewable sources by 2030. Producing clean energy in Europe and supplying LNG from the US makes Europe less vulnerable in international relations. At the same time, it is good with the climate goals.

Furthermore, the EU should focus on exploring and discovering new locations in the Mediterranean Sea and the Arctic Circle where according to some estimates from the US Geological Survey, the area north of the Arctic Circle is expected to store recoverable reserves of 90 billion barrels of oil, 1670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids.

Achieving energy independence would not be easy. The Russian import cannot be replaced by any country at this moment. I believe that where there is a will, there is a way. This year in January, US (LNG) exports to Europe exceeded Russian pipeline deliveries for the first time.

Close collaboration with the USA, investing in renewable energy, and finding other suppliers and alternatives could be a game-changer for Europe. That way the EU can become less dependable on importing Russian energy and can be more decisive on the global stage in pursuit of peace and prosperity not just for Europe, but for the whole World.

Dalibor Anchevski

M.A. in International Affairs

West Cornwall

Disagrees with writer

I respectfully disagree with the opinion Mark Godburn expressed in The Lakeville Journal’s March 24th issue. His statement that the “left” (Democrats) have done things as “bad or worse” than Trump’s January 6th insurrection is appalling. The violence was horrific and the Capitol policemen attested to that. One of them had a heart attack and another lost his life.

Mr. Godburn characterized the Black Lives Matter movement as causing more death and destruction than the January 6th insurrection. Black Lives Matter is about the inequity and wretchedness of a race of people being degraded and discriminated against for no other reason than hate. Our government was never in peril of being overthrown by the BLM. The statement that the “left” tried to overthrow Trump with lies and misinformation is absurd.

Trump’s corrupt and destabilizing use of government power and authority to maintain his ruthless grip is scurrilous. The many violations and scandals over the four years of his presidency have shown his complete disdain for the Constitution. His only concern was personal profit and omnipotent power.

There is one point Mr. Godburn made that I agree with. We should stop talking about Trump and his sycophants because in actuality Trump is a dictator at heart and there isn’t any room for his sociopathic garbage. If there isn’t anything about Trump’s actions and rhetoric that makes it clear how staggering his offenses are; then does his praise of Putin and his corrupt killing spree of Ukrainians bother anyone?!

The comparison of the 2011 Wisconsin protest to the January 6th insurrection is ridiculous. On January 6th, we had a president instigating and goading a mob of people to storm the United States Capitol. They broke in, tore apart and defecated on the Capitol. They had Molotov cocktails and firearms with the absolute intent of using them. The Wisconsin protest had fewer than 20 arrests and none of these arrests were from weapons charges. The January 6th insurrection was a coup attempt and a national embarrassment.

Unfortunately, even with all the evidence of wrong-doing against Trump, he has yet to face any consequences. His message seems to be, “Crime does pay.” I can only hope that Trump’s unscrupulous influence over our country dissipates sooner rather than later.

Gretchen Gordon

Sharon

How to end COVID

The only way to end an outbreak or COVID surge is by providing accessible and frequent immunization strategies. Testing methodologies are tools for surveillance, and useful to identify the scope of the surge, but not for ending it.

All eligible students, parents, teachers, and caregivers need to be immunized and boosted according to CDC guidelines, only then do you have a chance to control the transmission of virus and end the outbreak.

Peggy Fracaro RN, MA

Infection Prevention and Control consultant

Former Nursing Director- New York Presbyterian Hospital Department of Infection Prevention and Control

North Canaan and New York City