Persistance and Tenacity, requires a new chapter, a new beginning....

Monday, January 31, 2011

Death threats, finger pointing, revictimizing: just another weekend with the Kern Valley Healthcare District

Showing weakness

After the episode brought to me by the Kern Valley Healthcare District Emergency Room, an unsafe, healthcare environment, and the drug administered that was not "specifically" used for the purposes it was "tried" upon me, I have spent ten days in severe pain and due to complications, have had to try and just hold on.

I leave the information up on the blog, because it's honest, and it means something to me to alert others to the risk of visiting the KVHD ER and it's off shoot clinics.

Sadly, my doctor whom I respected, showed me his weakness and prejudice last week, and compassion was not even on the menu.

Why? I'm bi-polar.

It's apparent that it's that simple as PA Jim Gutzman, upon my return from a terrifying experience at San Jouqain, which was a result of the "care" or really lack of caution I got when I asked about my heart issues, has no ability to have empathy or even just sympathy.

I asked him and our board member, doctor, hospitalist, Dr. Robert Gross DO, if he was going to mix our political differences with my medical care last summer. Ever since this question, I have found myself given advice for gastric issues such as the genius idea: "mix 7up and milk."

Umm, wow, that was something. Four visits later, I finally was heard, but it was too late.

Our whole healthcare system is sick and it is those of us who are not just a cold or flu who can't get the help they need. Our doctors offer nothing but as I stated, a prescription pad. It's kind of like their fig leaf, they are ashamed that they are truly naked and ineffective without it.

Leftover problems they won't deal with

After the decision to be seen at the ER after fainting, which was diagnosed as a "panic attack" and the gastric diagnosed as a cyst (don't even ask it's ludicrous) I felt I didn't know what to do in regard to getting my point across I was sick.

Gutzman being my primary doctor, or PA, ignored symptoms and though alarmed, I had no other choice than the ER. The ER took it from shooting me up with drugs to shooting me up with the wrong drug and tugging my heart down to a dangerous level. With that in mind, they also gave drugs with no warnings, no decision on my part, and with the knowledge I am bi-polar.

Save yourselves

I called the FDA and have other paperwork being filled out and faxed so that records remain the same, as their is negligence, or mistakes, and then there is "criminal negligence" which means somebody doesn't want any responsibility.

My opinion is simple: do not go alone. Continue to be honest if you are a bi-polar or chemically challenged. Complain if there is need and point out what is good so that it may be rewarded. If you are not one of the VIP's who are the leaders of this hobo town, you will not recieve the same sort of care.

The stories I could and will tell

The sad facts are that doctors do more damage than guns in this country and it is a combination of reasons. But to specifically target certain people, because of certain judgements is completely immoral as well as illegal.

Now I have already finished the case of the hospital finance, that is going out today or tomorrow, with kid you not, awesome video. Thanks to Chet Beedle for his glaring lies and his imprudence as this will be easy for people of intelligence to ascertain instantly what the problems are and how to shackle and remove them.

But what about the community?

The hospital is dangerous. The investigations poor and never resulting in change only promises of change. Hopefully, after I write the next blog, we will see something in a different manner and we can move in a positive direction.

Right now, you have Dr. Gross DO, trying desperately to keep a position of power openly crowing he has control over CFO Chet Beedle. If that is what he wants should he not give up medicine over power?

He brought on David Derr, backed him, and got him on the board. He didn't need the vote, and Derr, on tape told me Gross told him he didn't have to "know anything" to be a board member. Now that's too easy to laugh at, but it's the sad truth. Derr didn't know what a GOB was or even what KVHD stood for at his first meeting April 2010.

Politics and medicine, not a good combination if we are to be treated fairly as opposed to the silliness shown by certain board members who believe they have or are in charge of the hospital. Basically your Dr. Gross DO, is the leader of the pack, but he's also the one who got back stabbed by former CEO Pam Ott and current CFO Chet Beedle in 2007. Not two of the sharpest tools in the shed were able to side track him.

And me.

After this experience I am having problems trusting, and certainly the reaction of the administrators has shown me no reason to believe anything will change.

Threats are signs of weakness

My friend has saved the threatening call made against me, and we will find the voice, and the person eventually as they are always fools to do such rash sorts of things.

This vulgar message was reported to Officer Hughes which makes it death threat number three for me, ALL REPORTED, you can get the documents.

Hughes asked me if I was okay, I said, of course, this shows me there is a smallness that can't be denied. A craven character who wouldn't call me.

My message to him is CALL ME, I need a good laugh right now. But that's fear and it should be considering I have only cut video from 2010 and it's unnecessary to go any further, except in making it a documentary.

Yes, you audience members who step in that room, I own your video, you will be a part of it, by virtue that you came to a "public meeting." So, such as Robin Pickering, head of housecleaning who also left a threat regarding her and her husband's pix, can jump in the lake, as those are great learning tools for people who want to grow and learn.

And on we go...Meeting this Wed. 5:30 Pm in the cafeteria next to the SNF dining room.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Catch up quickly on the KVHD news: February board meeting this Wednesday

What's going on at the hospital?

News birds tweet that our friends from Cal Mtg. are planning to arrange a deal of some sort with the hospital. I have scant details, but if it doesn't involve splitting the costs, then it doesn't do it for me.

Cal Mtg. has done some really interesting financial arrangements with KVHD CFO Chet Beedle.(remember from December, we all have to treat Chet with a "positive" manner and he will then allow you to have answers to questions. I know, but it's his hospital, not yours, unless you want to get involved.)

For instance the refinance in 2003, where KVHD borrowed money to pay the total cost of premiums for the Cal Mtg. pseudo insurance. The savings annually were minimal, but happily Cal Mtg. got all their money up front. And they extended the debt too.

ABSOLUTELY NOT!

According to finance manager Chet Beedle all his figures are ALWAYS correct. He has done nothing wrong. Even when CEO Tim McGlew asked on film about a small error, "remember Chet" the CFO emphatically said, "ABSOLUTELY NOT."

That may not be exactly true as now even the locals who know little of the intricacies of healthcare finance, found a $75,000 error which is on film, as the CEO, somehow found it after six months of asking.

But what makes the error so intriguing, is that it was in June of 2010, and was about to slip away in the fiscal year begining in July, therefore it would never have been found. So, they have some extra money?

What and where will we find this extra money and does everyone deserve a bit as it was about to disappear? And we have extra money from HFS the management company who did a small audit and according to Tim McGlew, only charged 37,000,, not the original $75,000.

Dr. Robert Gross DO, told the public there were "giant holes" in this report which had to be repaired by those on the finance committee. (which is strange because the finance committee didn't seem to fix any of the other holes or problems: they must have been inspired)

Gross elaborated on the performance of HFS, the company which found the problems at Sierra Kings District Hospital in Reedley caused by KHVD former CEO, Pamela Ott. Ott got into the GOB money from that area as well as using employee pension funds these workers will now never realize after their years of work.
(I wrote a letter of apology for our sloppy, inadequate, response to the CEO with her false credentials to "The Reedley Exponent" newspaper as this town let her go to destroy another town rather than manage our own problems. I know none of you meant it...so I apologized for you)

Back to HFS and their disasterous "review" of the hospital. Gross was explaining the reason he would not vote in HFS for a strategic planning company was that if he could not trust they do the tiny job of reviewing hospital finance, that he would not allow them to be in charge of the future of the district.

Makes sense, if only it were true. Duped again Doc.

I will post the transcript of this from the meeting and you will see that the CFO and CEO responded in an almost nonsensical manner after Gross made his statements. My sense is Dr. Gross may have been slightly mislead. Or he's a liar.

We can't do it by ourselves, Mommy

Strategic planning, Philps, the winner of the...contract who applied, according to Tim Mcglew on video, for a grant to get the job. McGlew said this initiative is what made him "recommend" the group for the job...what job?

There's two questions up in the air: why did Philps get the chance for grant money before they were even in front of the board members? And if as Chet Beedle said, they used SCHP monies to pay for Philps, the made a decision prior to a board vote. Oh, that's right, the board votes on things it knows nothing about, I forgot, sorry.

Then I've heard Philps is only the front runner not the strategic planning company, so more money will be expended.

Here at KVHD we have to accept these explanations or we are chastised. Sorry but these leaders never stretch the truth, such as the group of CEO's Tim Mcglew refers to as his barometer for small rural hospitals.

And when I complained about these new generic medications which don't even resemble the medications we were recieving happily and readily last year at Mt. Mesa Clinical Pharmacy, before it was reported closing before a financial report was ever concieved to decide.

Tim McGlew repeated what Chet Beedle had told me, that it wasn't their fault, it was "Cardinal Healthcare."

I guess it must be so. It's never their fault. Cardinal might have another take, but our people are completely honest and it must be that company who did it. Not our administration.

Oh, yeah, one more thing: you know that $800,000 Chet reported he recieved as part of the controversial AB1383? He knew it was coming when they put "Measure G" the tax hike on the ballot. All small hospitals got it, and they didn't have to do anything, yet on video Chet sure seems pleased. Maybe now we can be kinder to him and give him back his free housing as we don't want him commuting from Apple Valley where his family awaits and getting stressed out having to answer to precocious teenagers.

I wonder if we will ever see an attorney other than board counsel Scott Nave, and the bond counsel for the failed GOB?

We know Cal Mtg. is now doing something, but not the right thing. I think we need to look more into anything they are doing...or at least somebody should. I mean to keep us from our constitutional rights is rather strong wouldn't you say?

But then the KVHD board and administrators kept "all our financial options" outside of reach and only allowed what the "moral majority" I now call the "Fab Four" and the "darn it duo."

What laws?

Meeting: Wed. 5:30 pm in hospital cafeteria next door to nursing home dining room. Have fun!

If you can Prescribe it: then you should be able to handle the results

The prescription pad doctors

As the last post on the blog showed, I have been again in a position of being given "medications" in an improper manner, resulting in a heart condition which has yet to be explained because of a series of unfortunate events beginning at Sienna Wellness Center owned by Dr. Robert Gross and partner Dr. Gary Finstad.

Could these events been different had there been some significant education and lack of judgment? I'm sure of it.

Are the people willing to take responsibility? Not as of yet.

My personal story

I recognize this is my personal story, not part of the usual "KVHD under Fire" fare, but it was explained to me by "professionals" outside this valley, what has happened to me over the last week and even the last several months.

And due to the fact it is a safety issue, it has been reported to the FDA Medi-watch line which monitors the use of certain drugs and the application of healthcare personnel and emergency rooms who don't correctly utilize these "drugs" and do not follow up.

I'm going to write a series while I recover which may help others avoid totally relying on what their physicians and their assistants offer as advice.

I accept my responsibility

The first way to gain understanding and have your dignity is to find and accept your responsibility in any and all situations: even the bizarre hierarchy in AMERICAN medicine today.

I can't force anyone else to do the same, in fact, it seems there's more of a volley ball game going on than any show of true character and compassion. When things go wrong, doctors run.

They put on those jogging shoes and hit the road if they find you are not responding to their "prescriptions" and vilify and victimize those they cannot diagnose, the one "percenter's," as WE are sometimes called.

Eight days and nights of excruciating pain

Sorry, I did not explain in my previous blog, but it certainly is descriptive of the condition I am in and working very hard on my own to find the information to help myself or the aid of others who have the compassion and knowledge.

More than a week ago, I woke up early to heart palpitations, as my body had been through quite a lot of stress, breaking teeth with my car door at the August KVHD board meeting. (however, I finished the meeting, blood trickling down my face)

Due to my intolerance of many medications, doctors who rely solely on prescription pads are often little or no help. And more likely going to cause more damage.

We have a serious problem coming, and it's the doctors who flee when a medication goes bad.

After deciding to treat my pain, a year and a half ago, I have been put through the ringer of bad advice, insensitivity to the issues of necessary refills, anxiety that "withdrawal" symptoms will occur, and a general laziness of education of how to know when a drug is not working, but instead harming the patients, me, you, your children, your parents, etc.

But I have been labeled a "drug seeker" by some who are quite dense and cannot understand that I have bags of drugs at home I never took due to "discretion."

When the prescription pad is scrawling out all sorts of things from laxatives to anything new on the market with more side effects than the condition itself, it's time to stop and STAY SAFE.

Here in the Kern River Valley

We have little in the way of selection of doctors, and specialists are all out of town, or sometimes come up once a month or so to quickly go through a heavy load of patients hoping for some personal communication with someone they RESPECT and TRUST.

It's just not here for most of us, and especially those such as me, who question, speak up, and have had every patient right violated while I've attempted to recover since I arrived here, sick, in 2003.

Send them away or mollify us

Those they cannot diagnose in an hour, are sent away for other doctors to interpret, and sometimes the results of lack of communication are devastating between doctors.

After struggling with the drug, "Methadone" a favorite of the local doctors for pain control, I was sent to a pain clinic in Bakersfield run by a "guy" called Dr. Ashok Parmar as my doctors did not, as they said, have this special ability to deal "Doctor Dope." You will be hearing that phrase from me for a long time to come.

If you are a junkie, you can go to Dr. Parmar, and apparently he will fill your car up with multiple medicines children or the eldery and ill could easily overdose from. I met another person going to this man for his care for pain. The amount of medicine he has stored up are "FOR SALE."

That's right, Dr. Parmar, and many others are sending heavy duty drugs to the streets under the auspices of "pain management."

Listen Dr. Parmar, I believe from India, has risen to a huge new building, wearing new suits and ties, and has a great thing going: his customers can't leave or they will be in the shoes I have been wearing for a week: painful and dangerous withdrawal.

Not once did this doctor educate me on the risks. At one point he was so unprofessional he plopped onto the examination table, while I looked on from a chair, as he said to me, thick with accent, "you don't like to take drugs do you?"

What did that mean? Hell I don't know. I only want to take what I have to so that I may function.

Stopped functioning

As Dr. Parmar, becoming more resistant to the fact I wouldn't take all his drugs, I asked about a drug which in my opinion should only be used for terminal patients. he prescribed it. My regular hometown doctor's assistant didn't follow it, and knew nothing of this new 24 hour acting pain reliever, though I alerted him immediately.

New to the market of drugs, drugs, drugs, even "The Drug Store" in Kernville hand't heard of it.

EXAGOL is its NAME' O

I took this drug and found myself with a very low pulse, in the 30's and 40's. Dr. Parmar, who has moved into a large building on Brimhall, after protesters besieged his former place of business claiming he would not pay decent salaries to those behind the scenes workers.

Well, he left them behind and has really got himself a "legal crackhouse" in my opinion.

He didn't follow my chart, collected no detailed information, offered no education, did not correspond with my GP and then put me in withdrawal...twice. I metered the doses by myself to avoid the painful cessation which occurs and can harm your heart and mind.

He dished it out, but can't take it.

KVHD Emergency Room response

When I stopped by to see what the thumping was about in my chest last week, my pulse was slow. The doctors on duty knew nothing of the drug I was taking, or had just tried, prescribed by Dr. Parmar.

They brought in the knowledge of "poison control" and they did not have all the details and recommended to the nurse and doctor to administer a drug called NARCAN. That drug is specifically used on those who are unconscious, in "respiratory distress" from too many opiates. But my distress was not respiratory and the drug was unknown.

Last thing I really remember, was a "great nurse" whom I respect talking to poison control on a cell phone. They told him to add a "drop" which is an unmetered dose into my IV and see what happens.

Stop here: there is a protocol for many older drugs, but the EXAGOL was not among them, according to the FDA.

NARCAN is short lived, an opiate antagonist, but EXAGOL is long lasting. There is great risk to do something like this, but between the KVHD doctors and poison control it was administered to me. Within less than a minute, no warning to me to prepare for the pain of my life, I was screaming and up in the air clutching my chest.

I thought I'd died or was dying. I'm still going through this, on this ninth day.

Then as the "experiment" didn't work, as my heart rate fell even lower, I was hit with things and next thing I know it's evening and I'm being transported...to a scary situation in Bakersfield and my regular doctor doesn't even follow up.

Upon leaving the hospital in Bakersfield, I saw my primary physician, who made remarks such as "does she have a gun?" He came in with a junior whom he tried to look like he was training. I had my own assistant with me too.

This physician looked up the drug and the recommended steps to "come off of it" and an hour later I found out he was incorrect, or his information was incorrect. He said to titer down from the top of the dose then just "drop off" when it's half way down.

Not knowing what he was talking about in an experiential way, I spoke with several people in the rehab industry who told me it was the opposite, and I, the lowly patient, even know that from experience. So, should this doctor, a PA, be giving this sort of advice? Probably not in my opinion.

Part Two: Pain Mgt. creating new drug addicts, rehab seeing more and more doctor created addicts

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Kern Valley Healthcare District: Names to faces

Newly elected board member David Derr (Treasurer)
Heidi Sage Administrative assistant worked under many CEO's including Pamela Ott


Chairwoman of the board of directors: Victoria Alwin



Dr. Robert Gross DO (2nd vice chair)


Dr. Finstad and board counsel Scott Nave

Kern Valley Healthcare District CEO: Timothy McGlew

elected board member: Bob Jamison




Controller: Barbara Figeuroa





Chief Nursing officer Mark Gordon



Chief Financial Officer: Chester Beedle