Would Dusenbury want his friends vilifying teen driver?
In response to Jenny Burke's letter regarding the sentencing of Alexandra Ellis (ADN, May 15), she mentions Ellis "knew exactly what she was doing," when she drove after drinking and deserves 5-7 years in jail.
The judgmental skills of young people are not fully developed, for one thing. And alcohol progressively impairs judgment. Ellis clearly did NOT know "exactly what she was doing," nor did she have criminal intent.
The state of Alaska is also partly accountable for issuing Ellis a license to drive. The U.S. military does the same thing. The difference is they train soldiers extensively and intensely before they authorize them to use weapons. How much training is the state giving to 16-year-olds on the effects of alcohol before it authorizes them to use deadly force at the wheel of an automobile knowing they may not be developmentally mature?
The criminal justice system should be primarily for people who knowingly, willingly, and repeatedly hurt others, and to a lesser extent for those who are chemically or mentally impaired.
People are angry and devastated. But, in some ways, Ellis will likely be in jail mentally for the rest of her life. To sentence her to more than the agreed-upon one year would be "cruel and unusual punishment," especially if she dies in jail. Some young people only survive a few days in jail, which has been in the news this past year. Is this what Burke and those who signed the petition want? Have any of them ever driven while texting — a deadly act? Or reached for coffee on the Seward Highway?
It would help if people would consider what cyclist Jeff Dusenbury would want. It sounds like he was an amazing person and wouldn't approve of the actions of his friends.
— Harold E. Bartko Jr.
Anchorage
Legislature fails Alaskans by gutting public education
Today, I saw a graph showing each state's spending per student. Alaska makes the top of the list. But not in a positive way. Of all 50 states, Alaska reduced the amount spent per student by the largest amount: $279. Let me repeat that. Alaska reduced the amount paid per student (more than any other state in our country). This alarms me. I'm retired now after more than 40 years in education, 10 of them in Alaska. I've taught in public schools, a Catholic high school, a private university, started and ran a private nursery school supported by a church. Without hesitation I can say our public schools are better equipped to prepare well-rounded, future citizens. All five of my children graduated from public schools and are good citizens and serving their community.
There is tension between the conservatives who want public money used for private schools. Public schools and teachers have been under attack by the conservative movement for years. This group is getting close to its goal in our state.
Sadly, many highly qualified, long-serving teachers have taken early retirement and left the state. The reasons for this exodus are the conservative mindset of the past administration and a coalition of lawmaker obstructionists. Because of budget cuts, teachers have had to work with larger class sizes, more hours in school and at home, more duties because of staffing reductions, and job insecurity.
Are the legislators listening to Alaskans, who are petitioning all legislators serving the state of Alaska? No, they are not. Don't they understand that gutting or destroying public education for political purposes fails to work in Alaska's best interest? No, they do not. When those conservative lawmakers deposit the state of Alaska checks they receive, they are obligated in return to serve all Alaskans, the young, the sick, the homeless, and the rest, whether we are Republican, Democrat, nonpartisan, etc.
A big thank you to those legislators, Gov. Walker, and Lt. Gov. Mallott, who put Alaskans first. We trust you to continue to do what is right.
— Barbara Gazaway
Anchorage
Regardless of profit status, unique facilities are needed
I read with some amusement the story in Monday's ADN regarding the utilization of emergency beds in Anchorage. The story takes great pains to point out that Alaska Regional Hospital is owned by a for-profit hospital corporation while Providence is owned by a nonprofit corporation. It also emphasizes that these freestanding emergency departments are placed in communities with better insurance and paying rates.
Unfortunately it fails to note that Providence already owns freestanding emergency departments in Washington state. The story also seems to insinuate that if Alaska Regional really wanted to place an FSED in an area to provide better access to care, it would look at doing so in a less lucrative neighborhood.
I submit that if that were the case, the most likely location would be next door to Alaska Regional's present campus. As Ms. Taylor points out, with all of Anchorage's hospitals clustered near the center of town, access to the type of care my specialty provides is limited. The vast majority of the people I see are discharged home, many of whom have been referred to me by urgent care clinics in Eagle River and South Anchorage.
Emergency medicine is a unique specialty. We are able to care for people whose problems are too complex for an urgency care clinic: complex laceration and wound management, marked dehydration with the need for intravenous fluid application, a bad asthma attack that we treat and then are able to discharge home. We even care for children with earaches and fevers in the middle of the night when no urgent care clinic is open.
One last word regarding for-profit and nonprofit hospitals: I have practiced in both, and in multiple states during training and then practice after residence. The only difference I see is that one pays taxes and shareholders, the other uses its profits to build nice facilities and its nonprofit status to generate great PR. Both systems seem to be equally as charitable.
— R. Keith Winkle
emergency physician,
Alaska Regional Hospital
Anchorage
Fund education, not a dam that siphons needed funds
I recognize legislators are working hard in a difficult situation. In the time of a deficit, budget cuts will be required. That said, the stalling and delay is unacceptable. In Fairbanks, our community is facing cuts to education to the tune of at least $11 million.
This issue goes beyond Fairbanks. At a time when all communities of Alaska are facing hard cuts to key services, from public safety to transportation and health care, mega projects remain on the horizon with money in the bank. One of these mega projects is the Susitna-Watana dam.
After countless reviews detailing the impacts of this project to our fisheries, the boondoggle costs reaching more than $5 billion, it is absurd that this project remains with a glimmer of hope. Sure, the governor has stopped work on the project. But for now, we know that Alaska Energy Authority maintains a flush bank account with as much as $33.5 million dedicated to the pursuit of the Susitna dam. Not only does the Susitna dam not solve our energy needs, the state cannot afford this project in the short or long term. At a time when the state is facing budget issues like those today, every opportunity for savings must be evaluated. Our legislators need to end this project for good and claw back those funds into the state budget.
Every penny counts and with money from AEA, the state could address a variety of budget shortfalls, including education in Fairbanks.
— Karl Monetti
North Pole
Freestanding emergency departments expedite care
I found the commentary by Dr. Tim Silbaugh regarding FSEDs (ADN, May 14) a bit disingenuous and self-serving. I, too, am a board-certified emergency physician and fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Not only did he neglect to mention that he works at and for Providence Hospital and would thereby benefit from further expansion of its emergency department, he raised several issues which may unnecessarily alarm or mislead Anchorage's citizenry.
Rather than being "storefront" facilities, FSEDs as envisioned by Alaska Regional Hospital, would be extensions of that facility, staffed by board-certified emergency physicians, open 24/7, near residential population centers, with most of the resources necessary to evaluate and treat emergency medical conditions, including strokes, heart attacks, head trauma and life-threatening infections. Rather than delaying definitive care, they would expedite it, by allowing those injured or sick individuals access to care closer to home, thereby avoiding busy traffic or poor weather, crowded hospital parking lots and overwhelmed triage lineups.
The vast majority of individuals we see and treat in our emergency departments do not require inpatient hospital services or resources. For those that do, definitive care could begin at the FSED and transport to the hospital facilitated.
All individuals who go to these facilities would be seen and evaluated, regardless of their ability to pay, as mandated by federal law. Rather than "siphoning funds from existing hospital emergency departments," they would likely help ease the severe congestion and overcrowding currently affecting local ERs.
If patients are already being transported by EMS, it is unlikely they would stop at an outlying facility except for extenuating circumstances.
Freestanding ERs are an innovative new evolution in the delivery of emergency care and, as such, may be threatening to those opposed to change of the status quo. But, if allowed, I believe they could prove of benefit to the people of the Anchorage Bowl. You, your family and even "grandma," will be well cared for regardless of the venue.
P.S.: Thanks for the box scores.
— Gil Dickie, MD,
president, Denali Emergency Medicine Associates (Alaska Regional Hospital), Anchorage
The views expressed here are the writers' own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a letter for consideration, email letters@alaskadispatch.com, or click here to submit via any web browser. Submitting a letter to the editor constitutes granting permission for it to be edited for clarity, accuracy and brevity. Send longer works of opinion to commentary@alaskadispatch.com.