SAN FRANCISCO'S HEALTH SYSTEM IN 2005

San Franciscans already pride themselves in trying to offer the best health services to the constituents of San Francisco. Our many hospitals some run by Religious Organization, some private, other run by the State and Local agencies and of course those like the Veterans Hospital by the Federal government. San Francisco once boasted the best hospitals of a kind the former United States Public Hospital that most do not remember - lost in the history of greed and contemporary commercialization of the Presidio of San Francisco. The former Letterman Army Medical Hospital now replaced by a building owned by the mogul of figmentation on the film screen - George Lucas. Among the hospitals that until recently stands tall - the Laguna Honda Hospital. Saint Mary's, Saint Luke's, Saint Francis, Seaton, Kaiser, California Pacific the list goes on - but we still remember the old French Hospital and the others that have faded in history. The San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) shares a special role in serving the constituents of San Francisco and the neighboring counties. We are after all the City and County of San Francisco. The SFGH hospital has the best doctors and one of the best Emergency Services offering excellent Acute Care Services. Often times when some one near and dear to me or related to my friends is admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ISU) - I have found the doctors and the facilities - great. Often times I will visit various hospitals because if one does not visit the hospitals and feel the pulse of the patients once cannot perform a diagnosis as what exactly is happen in the healing world in San Francisco. In the last 10 years Administrators mostly controlling the SFGH have used convoluted ways to administer the hospitals and more the services offered at the various jails, clinics, teaching wards, and more. Crafty folks - using sleuth ways to divert money have crafted a system that has adversely impacted thousands and wasted millions. Nurses, doctors, other medical personnel do not normally complain when they have the working condition in order. Abnormal conditions slowly and undue stress hastily wear away the healers and care givers - and then we have conditions and women and men who cannot achieve the goals of their calling. It is not right to adversely impact the working conditions of the healers and givers - that sacrifice so much for the better good of humanity. Yet, our Hospital Administrators will wallow in the fat salaries they make - and take no notice of those that are the pillars of any hospital operation. I have spoken to doctors and to the nurses. I have spoken to X-ray technicians, to those that prescribe and give out medication, to the janitors and laundry personnel, to those that work in the kitchen, to the many that make the hospitals work. It is not easy and the Administrators, the politicians, and now even the Governor of California, Arnold have chosen to be advisories. This is not right. Our SFGH does not have a billing software to keep track of millions. It is easy for them to brag that they have a billion dollar operation - but they fail to state they have an antiquated system of billing in the year - 2005. Our mentally ill have been taken advantage off - simply because they cannot sit down and fight their cause. Care not Cash is not really suited for the mentally ill. But, as luck would have it the politicians have seen fit to attack the liberties of those - that have few. I have visited the mentally ill in the many newly and hastily arranged Hospital Hotels, make shift trailers - what I see is lack of healing and caring. In many of the recently Single Residential Occupancy hotels - people who need acute rehabilitation have been crowed to be taken care by two or three trained nurses, a social work, and may be one helper to deal with 90 to 120 chronically ill people. This is not fair. Some of these patients were on the streets of San Francisco. Some under bridges - others in Parks - other in places too nasty to mention. Now, suddenly they have a room but no one has taught them good habits. It is not uncommon to see a clean room overnight turn filthy. It is not uncommon for an Ambulance to visit such places to attend to some person or persons that have Over Dozed from drugs or alcohol. It is not fair to trust the healers and the caregivers into situations where not only are they harmed bodily but also their soul and mind tormented - daily. Our politicians have tunnel vision and our politicians are very slow to grasp the fundamentals of humanity. Doctors, nurses, technicians, others must speak up and write to the politicians including our Mayor Gavin Newsom who is far removed from reality and thinks that most every thing is clean cut. The poor and homeless we all have and will have and have had for years. It is not right to horde the harmless among thugs, chronic drug addicts, merciless women and men that prey on anyone - mix the worst with the best and try to come out with a solution that is tailor made for failure. Of course no one will believe what I write expect those that are at ground zero. For years under Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. an industry of thugs preyed and made money and more at the expense of the poor. The poor were really at the mercy of these vermin - nothing much has changed today. Drugs are peddled and I have seen it with my eyes. The SROs turned into units for living for the poor should have the ability to test the residents for drugs and other substance abuse - a simple urine test. If they violate the terms of decent living - they ought not to live with those - which mean well and make hell for everyone. I see this nonsense every day when I visit the patients that I want to help and those patients that want to help themselves - to make sense of life. Our Board of Supervisors - all of them talks the talk but cannot walk the walk. Time for the representatives of the people to fork out and stand clean and work for the people. I see them spew verbiage but they are not educated on issues. Some lack the humanity that one should have to discern. Others are so inept, ignorant, and arrogant that a skunk will flee away from them. Our health system is failing and the ones that are failing the constituents are the ones who call themselves Hospital Administrators - others, corrupt politicians the scumbags of modern civilization. The ones suffering our healers and care givers - the innocent patients. Foremost the mentally ill - who will fight for them?

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