Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 5-6-21

The quandary of Sharon Hospital

Many thanks to Dr. Kurish for laying out some of the challenges to maintain Sharon Hospital in the current health care environment.  

I am not an expert in healthcare, but here are some facts.

FACT: The Sharon Hospital is CMS 5-star Hospital, along with our Berkshire neighbors:  Fairview in Great Barrington; Northern Dutchess in Rhinebeck; Greenwich Hospital to the south.

FACT: On April 22, Nuvance announced  on Facebook, “Together with the Foundation for Community Health in Sharon, CT, the leadership team  and board of directors at Sharon Hospital will engage in a #sustainability report to guide the development of a long-term #healthcare delivery model to sustain medical services in the region for the foreseeable future. As Sharon Hospital looks to adapt comprehensive services for the future that align with best practices for rural hospitals, the regional analysis will identify current and anticipated community need alongside barriers related to healthcare access in rural areas, such as proximity, affordability, resources, socioeconomic status and population demographics.”

FACT: For those unfamiliar with the Foundation for Community Health (FCH), “FCH was established in 2003 when Sharon Hospital was sold to for-profit Essent Healthcare, Inc.  Connecticut law requires that the net proceeds from the sale of a not-for-profit hospital to a for-profit organization remain in the charitable sector through the creation of a “conversion” foundation.  The original settlement approximated $16 million.  The process was guided by a decision of the Connecticut’s Attorney General and formalized by a decision of the Superior Court of the State of Connecticut.”

I trust that the FCH will keep the citizens fully informed of their findings from the aforementioned studies they are conducting.

Dr. Hirko has done great service as a part-time president of Sharon Hospital. However, I believe full-time leadership is required to best position the hospital for the future. With the proper guidance, we could build on what we already have, while unifying the hospital and the community served.

May we all maintain good health!

Deborah Moore

Sharon

Appreciation for nurses, every day

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan declared May 6, “National Recognition Day for Nurses,” later expanded to “National Nurses Week (May 6-12)” to give communities, businesses, individuals, and organizations an opportunity to honor and thank nurses for the many ways they touch our lives. 

Given the grueling year we have endured, it is no surprise that the Gallup Poll reports that for the 19th consecutive year, Americans rate nurses as the most trusted professionals in the country.  While citing their honesty and high ethical standards, the sacrifices made by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic have only magnified our widespread respect and gratitude.  

Noble Horizons salutes nurses everywhere for their singular dedication, boundless compassion, and exceptional skills, offered selflessly during the most dangerous times of our lives.   We are particularly grateful to our own nurses whose relentless devotion has kept every resident of the Noble community Covid-free.   

In nurses we seek and receive comfort; we trust in their kindness, warmth, and expertise. Whether offering encouraging words of support or highly skilled care, nurses steward the well-being of their patients with equal doses of professionalism and empathy.      

Despite the intensifying complexities of providing care during the pandemic, nurses have risked their own lives to bring comfort to those in need.  We are honored to salute, thank and recognize nurses for their selfless work and open hearts.  

Caroline Burchfield

Dir. Community Relations,

Noble Horizons

Salisbury

A message for our state representative

This is a letter for our state Rep. Maria Horn (D-64):

As residents in your 64th District, we oppose your efforts to radically increase the cost of gasoline via a new Carbon Tax. Although it is claimed that the aim is to reduce carbon emissions, this Carbon Tax scheme will prove to be costly and ineffective. 

Even President Biden’s “climate czar” John Kerry admits reducing U.S. carbon emissions to zero will have no effect on world levels of carbon because of the refusal of other countries, especially China, to alter their policies. Punishing low- and middle-income families in Connecticut with higher gasoline costs (some think over the next 10 years as high as 26 cents per gallon) is not going to help Connecticut’s environment, economy or families. 

Making Connecticut more unaffordable is not the answer. Please remember your District is very rural. People have no choice but to drive as there are not viable mass transit alternatives. 

We are also strongly opposed to the bills that have been introduced in the General Assembly that would remove any decision-making power over zoning from Planning and Zoning Commissions selected in their respective towns and transfer that power either to regional boards, or even worse, to a state commission. 

Imposing multiple-dwelling zoning in areas currently zoned for single-family homes will not improve the lives of those who supposedly will benefit from the housing projects that will be built. Instead, it will take away from homeowners the sense of control of their own lives that their homes represent. Supporters of these bills allege they want “equity.” What they will accomplish is only to punish those who have worked and saved to achieve their life goals. 

We also oppose the bills that would impose a one mill statewide property tax added to the local residential tax rate and 1-1⁄2 mills to business properties. Connecticut already has the highest property taxes in all of New England, except for New Hampshire, which has no income tax. 

The flight of blue collar jobs and the middle class to states with more responsible tax rates is well known. The only thing that has reversed for the last year is the collapse of sane government in New York City and the movement to remote work.

Most damaging is the proposal to impose an even higher tax on business. Small businesses are already burdened with Social Security taxes, about the highest workers’ comp and unemployment insurance rates in the nation. Does Connecticut really want to punish small businesses that have suffered from the disaster of the year-long shutdown?

These are the facts and nothing but the facts. Oh, one more, you are aligned with your state party and not that of the people who voted you in.

John Grant

Kent Republican Town Committee Chairman

Kent

Sharon ICU must not be allowed to close down

When a physician having the expertise, dedication and seniority of David Kurish has to plead for the continuance of the most basic need of a hospital — an ICU unit — something must be done. Immediately. Or Sharon Hospital will be reduced to becoming just a feeder for the other hospitals in the Nuvance organization, which will profit from our loss. This must NOT happen, and it is going to happen unless we stop it. NOW!

Georgianne Ensign Kent

Kent

Supporting the non-profit direction of
The Lakeville Journal

This week we all received the best news in a long time...from the paper that brings much needed news to our Tri-state towns:  The Lakeville Journal.

The paper’s editor-in-chief, Janet Manko, announced that the paper is embarking on the journey toward nonprofit status. Power to the paper, kudos to the Lakeville Journal Company Board, and congrats to Janet herself, as well as Executive Editor Cynthia Hochswender, for sticking through hard times to reach this decision.

None of us wanted to get to the stage where we only realized how much we needed The Lakeville Journal once it had disappeared. Over the years, board and staff have gone through every conceivable gyration to streamline and cost cut in order to keep the paper going.

Ultimately, though, with this decision, the newspaper will have the support from us in the community to keep the paper alive in a truly viable and dynamic way. We can all help by contributing, and our contributions will, in turn, be tax deductible. In addition, non-profit status will make the paper eligible to go after foundation grants.

As Louis D. Brandeis once said, “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”   During New England winters, especially this most recent boxed-in one, The Lakeville Journal has kept us all informed of what our towns and neighbors have been up to, thinking, debating/grousing/snarking about, and doing to help each other. That’s the kind of exposure we can all enjoy. 

Thank you to the staff and board!

Molly S. Fitzmaurice

Sharon

The Dems have the wrong approach for the state

Connecticut already has high gasoline taxes. We pay 43.5 cents per gallon plus an 8.1% wholesale tax. Now Governor Lamont, with the help of state Rep. Maria Horn (D-64), want to add an additional gasoline tax of 17 to 26 cents per gallon with a new Carbon Tax. None of this new tax, by the way, will be going into the Special Transportation Fund.

Connecticut has the cleanest water and air we have ever had.  We have more trees giving off oxygen today than we have had in a couple of hundred years.  Our appliances are the most energy efficient ever.  Climate Czar John Kerry recently said the United States could go to a zero-carbon footprint and it would mean nothing because the problem is not the U.S., but China, India and other countries.

So why would anyone want to burden families in Connecticut with substantially higher gas prices? People in rural areas have no choice but to drive. Rural areas have no mass transit available like people who live in our cities. For liberals like Governor Lamont and state Rep. Horn to push such a massive, crushing tax increase that will hurt low- and middle-income families the most, makes no sense.

We aren’t going to help Connecticut by making people poorer and Connecticut more unaffordable. Sadly, this is only one of many proposals the Democrats are pushing that will cost Connecticut jobs, business and force thousands more to leave.  It is time to step up, push back, and be heard to oppose this and other like legislation.

The solution, however, is for liberals like Governor Lamont and state Rep. Horn to be voted out of office in 2022.

John Morris

Litchfield

Reader enjoys Sullivan’s Tangled Lines column

I’m writing in response to Patrick Sullivan’s Tangled Lines column, “Fishing season sneaks up on us again,” of March 11, and to let you know how much I enjoyed it. Patrick, I certainly don’t have the stable of fly rods you currently have but am truly impressed. My inventory amounts to a total of four; two really fast action Scott four weights and two beautiful R. L. Winston five weights that I use primarily for nymphing.

I grew up in Wassaic and was introduced to fly-fishing when I was 8 and received a 9-foot fiberglass rod as a Christmas gift. At the time, I had no idea what 9 feet of fiberglass was for, but I found a guy by the name of Gil Recchia who lived just down the road by the creek who let me follow him around and practice losing every fly I had.  

Gil was a great teacher, super patient, and he always had an extra Royal Wulff or two when mine ended up in a bush on the other side of the creek.

I’ve been all over the country since then (courtesy of the USMC), and have been fortunate enough to make 16 years in a row fishing the incredible freestone waters in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. 

Each summer, I take two weeks to solo hike, camp out and fish the Madison, Slough, Soda Butte, Henry’s Fork (hard lessons here), Snake, Rock, Beaverhead and some amazing Spring Creeks in Paradise Valley. I’m already getting my gear ready for July.

I know this is way over due, but I kept your article handy as we juggle a big move back up to the D.C./North Virginia area. I hope this season is rewarding and look forward to seeing your results and lessons in a future article. Semper Fi.

Lou Morse

Tampa, Fla.

Preventing conflict, harm

“What If” is still a legal way to explore many topics that are off-limits. But who knows how long that will last? Maybe safest to put on a play or write fiction about characters who ask the forbidden questions, recount the past and explore the future from a place of permissibility (depending on the faith, cultural, social and legal limits.)

There are places where it is not okay for certain people to speak, draw pictures mocking holy people or national policies and much more. Then there is the realm of what is okay to say, do or where to be in terms of gangs, domestic abuse dynamics and racial-based screening and violence as we all witnessed with the crucifixion type event that resulted in the death of George Floyd by the Judas type figure of Derek Chauvin “istic”. 

On my blogs livfully.org I explore these kinds of ideas and mainly exploring WIT, “What If Thinking.” I also aim to acknowledge and celebrate people of all walks of life at each age and stage of life. Ideas can be sent to me at cppaton@yahoo.com.

A theme is how can we take collective voluntary ownership of sharing ways to live and interact that prevent a great deal of conflict and harm in our lives, on the roads, in schools and workplaces and even among family, friends and community members whether locally, statewide, nationally or globally and online? 

We can appreciate our shared legacies and right the wrongs of the past with some support for asking and seeking ways to promote healing and networks to allow for greater resources to flow in our dreams and help us create winning teams for civil, sensible living today. Let’s say Yes to the the Miracles in May as we remember Mothers, Fathers, Parents, New Humans (children) and Communities that all work together for the greater good.

Catherine Palmer Paton

Falls Village