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August 2008 |
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Letters To The Editor
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Sometimes, a handful of common sense is worth a bushel of learning |
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Tuesday, 05 August 2008 |
Letter from Olive Olstad
Valley City, N.D.
Each year, as we pay our taxes, we have many memories. In 1935, my husband, Mylo Olstad, took the job of deputy sheriff under Sheriff Theodore Hedstrom. The late Ralph Snyder was also deputy sheriff at this time.
Reading “a little bit of history” written by Mylo brings back a lot of things to remember. Mylo writes, “The depression of the 1930s was real with experiences and stories of hard times. I remember stepping out of the north door of the courthouse, the summer of 1936, and a small crowd ahd gathered there, looking skyward at the swarms of grasshoppers that shaded the sun. We had hard winters and very dry summers.
“The farmers were losing their farms, (many of whom were very good farmers) because of the drought and low prices. They would borrow on the land, in the hope of paying it back, but the crops and price did not get better in time to save the land. The creditors then foreclosed the mortgage and it was the job of the sheriff to sell these farms, at the front door of the courthouse. These were very unpleasant experiences for the sheriff’s department. But it seemed that in spite of the hard times, people were very close and friendly. I think some of our best memories were in the 1930s, but life was hard -- very, very hard.”
One other duty for the sheriff’s office was to go to these farms and to levy on anything they might own. After one visit, Mylo told me, “I never did see those turkeys on the roof.” Of course, I never heard who the people were, nor did I need to know.
Mylo also served as deputy sheriff three years under the late Leo Stowman. Mylo left the job of deputy sheriff to go farming in 1941, when it seemed the economic conditions were improving on the farm. Perhaps so, but the first two years farming were still not so good, as hail struck two years in a row -- and not a bit of insurance.
It seems, now all some need to do is ask for more money from the taxpayers -- but really, do you need it? If you need it or if you want it -- these are two different things.
If you are the one who tells the rest of us what we must pay and do, please consider this bit of common sense, which was given to me by my brother Bud, which was written by our mother before 1931. She wrote: “Education is a very necessary thing in life. Get all of it you can. But never let your acquired knowledge upset your fundamental ideas of right and wrong. There are times when a handful of common sense is worth a bushel of learning.”
We were always thankful to be able to pay our taxes, but now I really believe enough is enough! I surely hope the farmers don’t lose their land like in the 1930s. Can you even think of this? They could not even live on their land. It was lost!
And back to the subject of courthouse memories: The courthouse doors were important to us who remember the dedication of the courthouse. They really need to be put back! |
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Long-time V.C. doctor comments on OB decision |
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Friday, 01 August 2008 |
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By Dr. Brad Braunagel
Medical Doctor In the past few weeks, Mercy Hospital and its Board have made a difficult decision to stop providing in-patient OB services to our community, effective Jan. 1, 2009.
This decision was based on declining birth rates at the hospital, difficulty in recruiting and retaining nurses, and also for financial reasons in that their expenses have exceeded their revenues. In many hospitals, there may be a service that loses money while other departments make up the difference because it is felt that those services are important to the community, hospital and the physicians. The Board met with the physicians several weeks ago to discuss some of their concerns that they were facing. This meeting was attended by administrative staff from the hospital and CHI, representatives from surgery, nurses and physicians. Each of us that attended this meeting were allowed to express our opinions and thoughts about this decision. The repercussions of all topics on the agenda were discussed as to the impact they would have on our patients, nurses, hospital community and patients.
So, how did this whole issue ever come to a point where the hospital was faced with the need to look at discontinuing this service? Mercy Hospital has stated that one of the reasons for closing the OB department has been the decline in the number of births that have occurred at Mercy Hospital. When I started practicing in 1990, we had about 100 to 110 deliveries a year compared to about 65 to 70 this past year. As our community demographics have been changing over the years, there are fewer younger families in the community having children and those families are also smaller. Many rural hospitals have chosen to continue OB services with as few as 20 to 30 deliveries a year because they feel it is important to provide this service to the community. A common reason some rural hospitals have discontinued OB services is that they do not have physicians that wish to provide this service; this is not a problem in Valley City.
Over the past several years, the hospital has had challenges in recruiting and retaining nurses to take care of our OB patients and general medical patients. Some of these nurses have retired, but the majority of them have chosen different workplaces such as Fargo, Hospice, Home Health or clinics. The nurses we have lost in the past year changed jobs because of the work environment at the hospital being unacceptable. How has the hospital planned to retain and recruit nurses to take care of our patients?
Since we have been having difficulty in staffing both the OB floor and general medical floor, the hospital has needed to hire temporary nurses or locum nurses to cover these open shifts to help care for our patients. They have been able to obtain outstanding nurses to complement our qualified nursing staff with these nurses. Hiring these nurses has been difficult and very expensive for the hospital to obtain and I truly appreciate their efforts to continue to provide qualified staff.
Several years ago, the clinic had conversations with the hospital on ways to promote OB services in our community. Since that time, the hospital has done very little to promote our OB department and the services that we provide to our patients including, personal one-on-one care from the nurses and their physician providers, prenatal and well childcare education classes, epidural and intrathecal anesthesia in labor and C-section care. However, the clinic has continued to promote each of the physicians and the services that they can provide.
It was also suggested in the past to move the current OB department to the general medical floor. This would allow the OB nurses to take care of our OB patients and babies and also care for appropriate general medical patients. I am not sure of all the details, but there were some issues that would make this move difficult. Unfortunately, no other solutions were sought out at that time.
At our recent meeting, it was suggested by some of the physicians to the board regarding other options to improve the current situation. It was suggested to again re-look at moving the OB department to the general medical floor to combine OB and general medical/surgical nurses, cross-train more nurses to care for OB patients, and look at ways to promote OB services that the hospital can provide to the community. It was hoped that by doing the above, we could see if the numbers of deliveries would increase and expenses would decrease.
If the decision to discontinue OB services remains in place, I am concerned that it could have a significant impact on our community. Our community is trying to attract new businesses and young families. Will a business look at the local community that does not provide adequate services for its employees and choose not to locate here because of this? If our current patients do receive their OB care in Fargo or Jamestown, will they continue to support our local businesses since they will be driving by the larger stores?
MeritCare Clinic has been actively recruiting two new family medicine physicians in training to join our clinic. Both of these physicians have expressed interest in doing inpatient and outpatient OB care. At this time, I am uncertain if this will affect any of their decisions to come to Valley City and thus affect future access to medical care in our community.
As mentioned, the Board did seek the opinion of the physicians and others when making their decision to discontinue inpatient OB services at the hospital. It was NOT a unanimous decision from he physicians to close the department. As a physician that delivers a lot of patients, this decision affects my practice a great deal and I did not support this decision. I am disappointed in the Hospital and the Board in that they did not seek any other solutions before making their decision. I also feel it is important that the hospital in a community of our size seek the input of the citizens to the services they feel are important and seek their support. Is closing the OB department at the hospital another step they will take in cutting other services and potentially closing the hospital?
I respect Mercy Hospital and the Board in their decisions, even though I may not totally agree with this. I know that they will be looking for other services that potentially are needed in our community. Hopefully, these new orthopedic services will help the hospital meet its needs, but I am concerned that those specialists doing that service will not support our local community by living and shopping locally. Unfortunately, these specialists are not available to cover the immediate needs of the community 24 hours a day, as are the local physicians. I also trust that the hospital will work with existing nursing staff to provide them other opportunities to use their nursing skills for our patients.
As for myself, I will continue to provide care for my patients as I have been doing for the past 18 years, until Jan. 1, 2009. After that time, assuming the decision to close OB remains, I will do routine OB care for my patients in the clinic. I will be partnering with the OB specialists at MeritCare in Fargo. I appreciate being able to care for my patients and hope that I can continue to provide care for them and their families in the future. As the hospital has needed to evaluate their current situation, I will also evaluate my practice in the future. |
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Courthouse memories sought |
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Tuesday, 29 July 2008 |
Letter from Dennis Stillings
Valley City, N.D.
At the meeting of the County Commissioners on Tuesday, July 15, Wes Anderson made an effort to get the County Commissioners to conform to the rules of their own museum by making the doors a no-strings-attached donation to that institution. But, since they are afraid that “something might happen to them”—someone might sell them off for $600 or beat the living daylights out of them even more—it is unlikely that they will do more than just “loan” them (essentially to themselves). Sound strange? Naaaah.
As part of his presentation, Wes waxed nostalgic about those who had passed through those old bronze doors to get marriage licenses, to enlist, etc. At that point, one County Commissioner piped up with the witticism, “And to get their flu shots!” This was greeted by a round of embarrassed chuckles from the other, ah, “wits” around the table. Not funny.
As a matter of fact, Wes was right. The people of the county once had enormous pride in the courthouse, and still would, if their leaders took care of it. It was very common for people to have their pictures taken in front of the courthouse after graduation, after enlisting, or just with friends and relatives.
I have a number of such photos, some of my own relatives and some unidentified.
Do you have such photographs? If so, I would be very appreciative if you would put them in an envelope with your name, address and telephone number on it and drop them off at the museum and tell them they’re for me. If you have an e-mail address, that would be good as well—I can e-mail you digitized copies of your photos.
I realize that these photos may be very precious to you, and so the greatest care will be taken that they are returned unharmed, unlike certain museum doors! (Ooops, sorry—that just slipped out!). They will be all digitized, put on a data compact disc, and added to the museum collection. Some may be used in the “Yesteryears” feature of the Times-Record, and all will be used as a record of what the Barnes County Courthouse looked like before the County Commissioners finished it off. |
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Reader offers three cheers for the Times-Record |
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Tuesday, 29 July 2008 |
Letter from Paul Stenshoel
Valley City, N.D.
Barnes County is my home. I wasn’t born here, and I wasn’t raised here, yet I claim it as my home and it will be so from now on.
Four generations of my family on both sides have called this place home. When I go out to where the family farms are, and were, the neighbors know who I am and where I came from; they can tell stories of my grandparents and great grandparents, and I feel accepted. They’ve made this place feel even more like home to me.
Of course, Valley City is the political and governmental center of Barnes County. But as is the case with any town, this one also has its problems. Those problems became more sharply evident with the city administrator and building inspector experience.
The easy offhandedness with which such proud buildings as the Lions Court, the train depot, and City Hall were torn down arose from a mind-set in dire need of change. The most recent desecration, the hairy-knuckled tearing out of the original bronze courthouse doors indicates that the spirit of false progress still rules.
What next? I expect that it will be the old jail—and then what? And then what?
The T-R, for the first time in memory, is presenting full spectrum news. More than ever, we can find out what is actually happening in this town, not just what a certain segment of the population wants us to know. That is what a paper is suppose to do, and in that way it protects the ordinary citizen. They deserve an award, maybe several.
Recently, I was singled out by a prominent citizen as a city bad-mouther, giving the many outsiders that read the T-R a negative view of Valley City. I am sorry that the person feels that way. I criticize because I care, and criticism is something the local political types here are just not used to--and it’s not because they don’t have it coming. This is not Mayberry. Perhaps it will be some day, but the actions of city government itself spoil that lovely image as much as anything else, and it is pretty hypocritical for its representatives to wag their fingers at the rest of us.
Three cheers to the Times-Record! The people there know that Valley City is a special place, that it can have a special future, and that sugar-coating and prettying up the news will serve this city poorly. |
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Time to start planning for Relay for Life 2009 |
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Friday, 25 July 2008 |
Letter from Sandy Hansen
Valley City, N.D.
Another Barnes County Relay for Life - our fifth! - has come and gone. And due to the overwhelming support of the residents of Valley City and surrounding communities, we can report another successful year of raising funds to go towards the American Cancer Society and its fight to eliminate cancer.
Even with total team numbers down this year, we were able to raise nearly the same amount as we did last year - an approximate $82,000! Isn’t that amazing? Congratulations Barnes County - thank you to all who contributed to this effort.
I want to send a special thank you out to all our survivors and their caregivers who participated in the Survivor Reception and started the event held overnight June 20th by walking the first lap. We had more than 135 survivors and caregivers leading the way that night, walking that first lap at VCSU’s Lokken Field which was lined with more than 3,200 luminaries honoring or in memory of others who have fought cancer. It was an inspiring sight.
If you are a cancer survivor in this area, and were unable to attend the event, there were a number of survivor T-shirts left over, as extra were ordered if needed. These shirts do belong to you - the survivors - and if you would like to pick one up for yourself or someone else, please give me a call at (work) 845-4390 or (home) 845-1191; or stop in at the Faith Lutheran Church office during the week and pick one up.
Our sixth-annual Relay for Life is being planned for June 26-27, 2009. It’s never too early to start fundraising if you plan on having a team or if you would just like to help!
For more information, contact our committee chair for next year, Lisa Baasch, at 845-1693 or myself at the above phone numbers. And be sure to watch for the ACS Fight Back Express - a nationwide bus tour which will be making a stop in Valley City next month on Aug. 10. Watch for more information on this upcoming event and plan to take part!
Hansen is survivorship chairwoman of Barnes County Relay for Life. |
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Reducing biofuels is big mistake for America’s economy, security |
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Thursday, 24 July 2008 |
Letter from John Hoeven
Bismarck, N.D.
Recently, some policymakers have suggested we should reduce the Renewable Fuels Standard for ethanol. I strongly disagree, and as a former chairman of the Governors Ethanol Coalition, a 36 member association of ethanol producing states, I have contacted congressional leadership, the EPA and the President to encourage their continued support for ethanol.
Currently, the United States imports nearly 60 percent of its fuel. This creates a challenge not only of cost, but also of dependency on unstable foreign sources of petroleum. The long-term solution to high fuel prices at the pump and reduced dependency on foreign supplies is not to reduce consumption of biofuels, but to increase supply from all sources, including ethanol.
In North Dakota, we are increasing petroleum production, and we are working on four different projects to increase refinery capacity. We are aggressively increasing the domestic supply of oil and gas for our region and the nation. However, at a time when higher fuel prices at the pump are creating a hardship for consumers and a burden for America’s economy, we must increase production of alternative fuels, as well.
Biofuels boost America’s rural economies and help to contribute to the nation’s supply of transportation fuels. They create jobs and stimulate economic activity in rural America, while reducing our dependency on oil produced in unstable parts of the world. Greater domestic energy production from any source means greater energy security for our country.
Research is underway, moreover, to help the industry produce fuel from increasingly less expensive materials, so that someday we will be manufacturing ethanol from switch grass and other more economical sources.
The reality is, the run-up in food prices owes more to rising fuel costs, as well as commodity market speculation and worldwide increased demand for meat, than to corn-based ethanol.
Turning back the clock on renewable fuels makes no sense. We must continue to enhance production, support research, and promote the use of ethanol and other biofuels. Our nation’s economy and security depend on it.
John Hoeven, a Republican, is governor of North Dakota. |
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Medicare crisis still looms |
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Wednesday, 23 July 2008 |
Letter from Robert A. Thompson
North Dakota Medical Association
The voices of patients and their physicians were heard loud and clear last week, with Congress’ overwhelming vote to override a presidential veto and stop impending Medicare payment cuts of almost 14 percent for physician services in North Dakota. Our physicians through the North Dakota Medical Association wish to express our appreciation to Congressman Pomeroy and Senators Conrad and Dorgan for their ongoing support and tremendous efforts for preserving quality, affordable medical care in our state. This vote assures continued access to vital health care services for North Dakota’s senior citizens.
Notwithstanding the vote, Medicare payments to North Dakota are far less than most other states due to geographic formulas used by the federal government to decrease payments to our state. In fact, newspaper reports over the past several months have highlighted the concerns of physicians and hospitals in our state over low, unfair payments by all payors for medical services in our state as compared to other states. And not only Medicare but also state Medicaid and commercial insurers such as BlueCross BlueShield of North Dakota. NDMA physicians are very concerned that this continuing trend of poor payment does not bode well for the future of health care in North Dakota, and in time the access and quality in health care enjoyed in the state will deteriorate rapidly as health care resources become increasingly scarce and health care workforce and capital needs are not met.
The reprieve received last week on Medicare is only a short-term fix for a complex issue. For several years, this payment formula has calculated reductions in payments in the face of continually rising operating costs in physician practices. The payment formula now projects over a 20 percent reduction in payments beginning Jan. 1, 2010. This would create a literal meltdown of the Medicare program as we know it.
Congress has created an 18-month window of time in which they can resolve the problems inherent in the current physician reimbursement formula. We hope to work with our Congressional Delegation to do just that. Eliminating the inequities of the formula is the only way to end the annual threat of drastic cuts shutting down access to Medicare services.
Thompson is a medical doctor and president of NDMA. |
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