Miss Vero's Beach House: HOSPITAL HOTBED

The most astute comment made on the TC Palm last week, concerning the impending strike by Indian River Medical Center nurses, we gladly quote today;

"Food for thought...Where do the unemployed, depressed, uninsured turn for medical care? The local emergency room. In these bad times there is no other alternative for most. This means people will prioritize their needs and many times medicines, and routine medical care will have to come last. The result is larger numbers of very sick people and congested ER's. Do you think the hospital hires more staff to handle the inevitable? No, hospital motto is "Do more with less" All the while the administration earns more than anyone realized. Visit your local ER sometime, especially during "season" and witness for yourself the very sick, emotionally disturbed, and violent patients. See how many patients are "holding" for inpatient beds. Why does any citizen in the county stand for this? We need to demand a GREAT community hospital. We need to appreciate the REAL staff that are in the "trenches" everyday. Do we need a union? YOU BET! It's the only way staff will ever be "heard" by those that control the dollars in the hospital."

Posted by mcma5652 on January 23, 2009 at 8:45 p.m.

http://tcpalm.com/news/2009/jan/23/irmc-nurses-wont-strike/?feedback=1#comments

We also must bring to light the fact that in today's South Florida Business Journal, Indian River Medical Center did not make the grade for any type of specialty excellence in Florida:

http://southflorida.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2009/01/26/daily15.html?ana=e_du_pap

Oh my, we were lead to believe that the Duke association would benefit our community and give us a cutting edge, so to speak, in cardiac surgery, but further examination shows that we have not made the grade at all:

http://www.healthgrades.com/consumer/index.cfm?fuseaction=mod&modtype=hospitals&modact=hospitals_search_results&prodtype=hosprat&state=FL&city=&maparea=&proc=&tabset=sea&service_line=CVO

Oh and somehow, Miss Vero has become in possession of a copy of the infamous desk invoice. honestly $90,739 for a desk? Not on our dime.

Click on the invoice to enlarge it: