THE PARABLE OF THE
EMERGENCY ROOM
Suppose you were driving down the road. Suddenly, without warning, you experience a
terrifying jolt accompanied by the dreaded sound of crumbling metal and
shattering glass. The next thing you
know you are in an ambulance, attended to by paramedics. You eventually learn that a drunk driver ran
a stop sign at 50 + mph and slammed into you broadside. You are in excruciating pain, the result of
several broken bones. You also suffered
numerous lacerations and a suspected concussion and probable damage to vital
organs.
Finally the ambulance arrives at the Emergency Room entrance
to the Hospital. You are wheeled into a
crowded triage center where a nurse examines you and takes down all the
information. She then explains that
there are 100 beds in this Emergency Room and they are all filled. State regulations do not allow any patient to
be seen by a doctor unless there is a bed available for them. So, you will just have to wait in the triage
center.
How long will the wait be, someone asks. We never know, comes the reply. There are 30 people ahead of you. However, patients are taken according to the
seriousness of their condition. Because
you obviously are in serious condition you will be placed at Number 3 on the
waiting list.
Number 3? But how can
this be, asks the other voice again.
Just look at this person - broken bones, severe lacerations, concussion
- - how can we possibly expect to wait to be seen?
I'm sorry, says the nurse.
There are two people more serious than you. One is a lady with a brain aneurysm. She is in a coma and has been here for two
days. She has yet to be seen by a doctor
or a nurse. The other is a man who is
suffering from a heart attack. He, too,
is barely alive but has not been seen by anyone yet. Then there is you.
But what about the people in the E.R.? Surely some of them are in good enough
condition that they could surrender their bed to someone with a greater need?
Oh my, NO! Once a
person gets a bed in the E.R. they can stay there until they are admitted to
the main hospital or.....they die. The
triage nurse remains rather expressionless as she relays this information. She continues: and no one is being admitted to the main
hospital because again, there are no beds available.
So there you lay. On
a rickety gurney, in pain like you never imagined, wondering....WHY? I didn't do anything to cause this
situation. I did not cause the other
driver to be drunk or to run the stop sign.
I certainly don't wish for people to die, but - - this just isn't
fair. How could I have been living in a
community with an inadequate hospital to meet the needs of our citizens?
REALITY
OK, so I made this whole thing up and honestly believe it
could never be true. Not in this
country. Or could it? Right now, at this very moment, in principle,
the same thing is happening. The
difference is those who are waiting for services are persons with emotional,
physical, or developmental disabilities.
Just in Pennsylvania there are currently 16,000 people on
the waiting list for services they are entitled to and need, but have no access
to. Among them are 3,000 who are on the
"Emergency Waiting List". This
means that their situation is so severe they represent a threat to themselves
or others. Their family members are
doing the best they can but they are exhausted, worn out, and reaching their
breaking point. Besides, they are not
professionals and are very limited in what they can effectively do.
This is the current
situation. If the newly proposed budget
from Governor Tom Corbett is passed, the situation will quickly move from
"serious" to "critical".
Gov. Corbett is proposing a 20 % decrease in services to the disabled. Yes 20 % - - That is a HUGE reduction that
will surely create havoc not only for families but for society. The City of Philadelphia predicts a 50%
increase in homelessness if these cuts go through. Is the public willing to deal with those kind
of consequences? Many may say yes now,
but a year after the cuts are enacted I predict they will change their minds.
Karen Snyder, former Secretary of the Department of Welfare
in Pennsylvania, has called the Corbett Budget "devastating". She is quoted as saying that she has "never seen a proposed budget that will
be so damaging to human services" as this one. According to Snyder, programs and support
services for the disabled have been "underfunded
for years."
In summary, here is what the Governor is proposing for
disability services. Currently in
Pennsylvania there are seven funding streams that provide for the various
programs and services required by persons with disabilities. These programs vary from person to person
according to need. The list could
include occupational therapy, counseling, psychiatric services, physical
therapy, vocational rehabilitation, housing, respite for caregivers,
modifications to one's place of residence in order to meet the needs of the
individual, medically-necessary equipment and so much more.
Gov. Corbett is proposing that these seven funding streams
be consolidated into one Block Grant.
Each County would receive their proportionate share and be allowed to
distribute the Block Grant as they see fit.
It should be noted that the PA County Commissioners' Association met to
discuss this proposal and decided instead to totally oppose it.
So what does any of this have to do with my Parable of the Emergency Room presented
above? As in that fictitious Emergency
Room, those who are disabled and waiting for required services are already too
high: 16,000 total; 3,000 in "Emergency" Status. If funding is decreased by
20 % fewer people are
going to be served. Thus the number on
the Emergency Waiting list cannot possibly decrease. It can only increase. The idea of giving each County a Block Grant
as opposed to the seven funding streams not only creates a nightmare for the Counties
but also gives unscrupulous lawmakers the opportunity to redistribute what
money they do get in favor of one program over another. In the end it is impossible for anything good
to come out of this for those with disabilities
Interestingly, when Tom Corbett was campaigning for Governor
two years ago he stated that services to the disabled was a core responsibility
of the State. Now, as Governor, he is
seeking to undermine that very support system.
It should come as no surprise that a group of parents and other
advocates are challenging the proposed budget with a pending lawsuit.
A CALL TO ACTION
Again I say, 20% is an incredibly high amount. This translates to one-fifth of the current
budget. To put this in perspective,
think of it this way:
·
What would you do if you learned that the State
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was going to reduce the number of licensed
drivers and the number of automobile registrations by 20% next year?
·
How about if you were told that the State would
now demand that all employers reduce their payroll by 20%?
·
Suppose your income tax (or your State sales tax
or Real Estate tax) was about to increase
by 20%. What would you do?
·
Could you possibly imagine the outrage if the
Legislature were to cut Medicare by 20 %?
Most likely you would make a huge fuss, write letters to your
elected officials urging them to vote against these proposals, and perhaps even
consider joining a class action suit against the government or whoever was
responsible for the changes. Wouldn't
you?
In an overwhelming number of cases the people whose services
will be affected by Gov. Corbett's proposals are incapable of mounting an
opposition. A huge proportion are children. Many of the others simply do not have the ability
to understand.
I would encourage you to act on their
behalf. Write or call you State
Representative and State Senator. State
clearly your opposition to the proposed 2012 - 2013 Budget as presented by
Governor Tom Corbett. If you are not
sure who your Representative or Senator is go to www.legis.state.pa.us. In
the upper right corner there is a box with the heading "FIND MEMBERS
BY". Click on this link and follow
the instructions. The names and contact
information for your elected officials will quickly be displayed. Use that information to begin a
letter/email/telephone campaign to be sure your voice is heard. It is not a difficult thing to do, but it is
effective. And remember: time is limited. This budget is due to go into effect on July
1, 2012 . That means it must come to a vote before then.
If you live outside of Pennsylvania you may want to check
with your own officials to see what their plans are regarding support services
to those with disabilities.
The more I think about this I would like to see an alternate
proposal:
·
Let's reduce the size of the Pennsylvania State
Legislature by 20 % of its current membership.
We currently have 50 Senators and 203 Representatives for a total of 253
Legislators. Thus we would drop 10
Senators and 40 Representatives, or in other words, 50 Legislators would be out
of a job!
·
Reduce the salary of the Governor, Lieutenant
Governor, Treasurer, and all Legislators by 20 %.
·
Reduce the size of the Pennsylvania State Police
force by 20%
One can quickly see how ridiculous such proposals would be. None of them would stand a chance of being
accepted, at least not in Harrisburg. How, then, can our Governor possibly expect
those with disabilities to accept his proposal?
Please join me in raising a voice on behalf of these people
who desperately need the services they are receiving. There is an old saying: "Silence means consent". If you do not voice opposition to the
Governor's plan, then I suggest you make it your duty to be the one to explain
these cuts to those who will no longer receive the services they require. I will even supply you with a few names and
contact information so you will have no excuse for sitting by quietly while
lives are destroyed. You see, there is
no way to hide from this issue. You
might as well make it personal - - Governor Corbett has.
by G. D. Gehr
April 3, 2012
Comments encouraged and welcomed.
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