I miss the toughness and integrity of 60 minutes: Diane Sawyer allows hack job of Kern Valley Healthcare District elder abuse Story (national but not helpful, thanks for trying)

ABC World News Tonight: sounds good

(I still remember the hayday of 60 minutes, the CBS masterpiece of television journalism, how about you Diane Sawyer?)
We were happy to hear that the story at the Kern Valley Healthcare District was being covered nationally, but that was short-lived as the majority of those who watched it shared with me they were disturbed.

"They don't even know the truth and that is why the media is as screwed up as it is."

"I can't believe they did it again."

"You're right, TV can't really cover this story."

After hours of talking and then reading some emails, I began to realize that ABC World News tonight really did nothing to help our situation here in the Kern River Valley, nor were they able to really get a handle on the story. And the may have even hurt us by coming in at the end basically and using year old footage.

The story eminates from channel 23 in Bakersfield, the local ABC affiliate, much like the only radio station in our mountain town, QAB, is also an ABC news affiliate.

The irony here lies in that ABC news, it could be argued, is a co-conspirator in the elder abuse case.

My argument would be that I personally, and I know directly that others have contacted agencies such as the FCC and ABC news and QAB to complain about the behavior of Disc Jockey and "KVHD" board member, Bob Jamison, in regards to keeping the truth of the circumstances at the hospital from the public.

Which I think makes it a conspiracy and obstruction of justice.

Charged with eight counts of elder abuse, and the last defendant to be charged "thus far" (I hope anyway) in the case, former CEO, Pam Ott, was allowed an almost solid hour (meaning advertisements were purposefully reduced) to make her case with Board member Jamison's blessing.

So, we, the community, the public in general, did not know to what extent the situation at the hospital had degraded.

By this time, I know of one for certain, family that was paid off and took money to be quiet.

Yes, the district paid off a family, a small sum to go away and not let this mess get out to the public.

But when it did, the media, QAB and even the local newspaper, were allowing misinformation, and focusing on what they thought would help (help keep their advertising contract I'm sure) the hospital.

You cannot allow a hospital overrun by criminal and unethical behaviors/activities to be removed of a few and leave the top layer over the rest with no recourse.

We were warned

There was a whistle, a horn, a scream, and then a crashing noise as all of this took place between late 2006 and early 2007.

I'm here because one of the media outlets flat out lied, and the other could not bring itself to understand the problems and give it the coverage it needed.

I'm here because the attorney general had the former CEO, with diplomas from Kennedy/Western University (google that or just look at the post of her whole resume) and emails misrepresenting her credentials. Any rookie human resources clerk could catch that.

I'm still here because the county DA didn't want to get into this morass of small town politics.

I'm still here because people still need help and the truth has not finished surfacing. And I won't be going away anytime soon it seems. As there have not been others willing to step up and take on this crooked situation.

Did your story help us? Then what was it for?

We are quick to beat up on the media, and truly they do need some good wake up calls. But for the most part the media want to report as best as the type of media they utilize can support.

A television station cannot handle a complex story such as the one that has occurred here on the five o'clock news unless it becomes a series, drawn out to allow time for interviews and facts, allowing the viewer to have enough information to decide on their own what has happened.

I could suggest a few segments for television which would cover our story:
"Financial policy leads to short staffing a nursing center potentially causing patient harm. The on-going Kern Valley Healthcare District case."

Then they could add a story on corporate tyrranny and use the KVHD managers and a few board members as examples. "What to do when your manager is doing something illegal: the whistleblower act."

Another, why people are frightened enough to do things they normally wouldn't do?

The list goes on and on, as there are many layers to this situation, and so much to be learned by us all.

Point is there is a lot of material in this story, so which do you do? All of it, of course. Leave nothing out. It's too vitally important.

I'm here to help bring about true change and hopefully watch justice happen in my lifetime. Though I recieved a few exasperated emails tonight from those who just want this to end. Some are families of the nursing center residents and others are just involved somewhere.

I hope that there are those who are redeemed from this horrible situation, as it changed all our lives who are and were involved.

Channel 23 I believe you should make your way up here tonight, at 5:30 pm for the board of director's meeting. It is time for the media to help out, we would appreciate it.

You could help get the truth, "the dam truth" out there. Because that is what our job is about.

A story with a juicy Jerry Brown soundbite is tempting, but that was old news, and he has reiterated the exact same message without elaboration.

I'd like to ask him why or how Pam Ott ever got on the witness list. What drugs were the investigators on when they did that? Psychotropics?

And really I want to know why the rest of the notables, some still stuck at the hospital, are not being at least reprimanded. Maybe not elder abuse, but lot's of obstruction took place, and truthfully, some of it, not so long ago.

So, the media who covered this need to ask themselves if they did this to shock us and make us tingly or to help?

I know that the story contained an interview with the "former" attorney for Dr. Hoshange Pormir, a long time doctor in the valley, from Lebeau and Thelan, about how Dr. Pormir supposedly feels about the drugs which were administered.

I know Dr. Pormir probably didn't appreciate that interview as today in court, the date was continued until March 9, 2010, because he has a new attorney, Donald Etra, from Los Angeles.

That was a very self serving interview I believe, and even more so, it may have damaged Dr. Pormir's case as I saw no reason that he should reveal anything as to the direction his client or his defense is taking the case.

That was a bad and damaging interview.

What happened in court:

It was a strange morning as I struggled to get out of bed, and my camera person had a car breakdown, and my friend hit traffic in the canyon because of road work, and none of us made it to the church on time to see the three defendants.

But I decided to make a call to channel 17, KGET, and then 29 to see if they had covered the case. No.

Unhappy, I decided off chance, though I had not talked to them before as I have the others, to call channel 23, an ABC news affiliate.

I got someone on the news tip line, and asked if they went to court. Yes. I thought great. I was told that it was continued until the ninth of March as a new attorney, Donald Etra, had come on for one of the defendants, he couldn't tell me which one.

I thanked him for the info and then he asked me who I was. I said, I'm Laura Hart, and not hearing a shriek, I continued on to say I am the reporter who was the first investigator on site in the matter and staying on until it's properly and justly settled.

He didn't tell me about the story that was to run later on both the local and national news, but asked me some more questions. I told all he needed to know about me was on my blog: google me I told him. (sounds kind of kinky now that I say it that way)

Anyway, news guy  then thanks me and asks me for my name and number, basically because of my winning personality I'm sure, to catch up later.

Then I try to find this attorney locally, and the name, "Etra" sounds both like "extra" and etcetera" which seemed odd.

So, I call back the newsguy at 23, and just for kicks have him restate the name so I know it's not in my mind, and I dyslexically wrote it down.

He reassured me on the name and so then I looked it up and reassured myself by calling the courthouse to verify the name.

It may not be exciting, but basically, the case was continued, new lawyer needs time to catch up on the situation, and we will see where they are at in March.

There maybe more...I'm still poking around.

Civil case, in Shepter vs. KVHD, they're arguing the statute of limitations law which allows the government entity, say the healthcare district, to be informed that they are going to be sued six months after the injury or death took place. That is in California, other states are even more restrictive.

KVHD is arguing the Shepter case, one of the victims listed in the criminal matter, that they didn't file on time.

These short statute laws offer a kind of protection to the government entities, as many times the people who have injuries or lawsuits are unable to collect or even be heard as they may not have filed on time. The lawsuit could be dropped or not even started based on this shorter than average time frame, statute of limitations.
Tonight: board meeting 5:30 pm in the hospital cafeteria. Please attend as the meetings become more and more important. The auditor will be here, to give his perspective on all things financial. But I want to remind those who attend: this auditor has been doing the districts books for many years, Rick Jackson. And the thing I would like to see happen would be a thorough, forensic audit.

Anyone can take someone else's numbers and say they look all right: but when you actually have receipts, bills, cheques, that is far more invasive and thorough. Yes, costly, but I bet we find more money than not, as billing is behind a few years.

See you there...