An ailing Long time Neighborhood hospital. A for profit Hospital Corp. to the rescue? Remember the key phrase (for profit).
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by Joseph Bolden Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009 In San Francisco’s City Hall, 4th floor, room 400 There will be public comment on C.P.M.C’s [California Pacific Medical Center’s] Institutional Master Plan [I.M.P.] It’s a public hearing on the above pursuant to Planning Code Section 304.5 The IMP [supposedly] (italics mine) contains information on the nature and history of the institution, the location and use of affiliated buildings, and future development plans. The IMP is available for viewing on the Planning Department’s website (from www.sfplanning.org click “Publications & Reports” and the Institutional Master Plans”). Recommendation: No action required. This is an informational item only. From Agenda Packet on San Francisco Planning Commission Notice of Meeting & Calendar in City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. First let me say I strongly dislike to be in a where politics is spoken, deals made, brokered, bartered, otherwise conveyed, made where to compromise is key. {why I gravitate toward women who's have mastery of past and present this art/science called politics I’ve yet to figure out} 1:28 pm one of the elevators is stuck on the 2nd floor while the 1:30 meeting is on the 4th floor in room 400. Because of a 12a.or b.’s Deharo Street building codes, Planning Commission, neighborhood, and long, arduous process, along with public commentary. Which is no fault of the diligent commissioner’s unraveling technical problems for the proposed removal or addition of laws of height, parking, safety of elders and children took up more than 3 hrs. By 7 pm. It’s still going on. I leave after 3 pm. amazed at arriving on time in the first place I go home to sleep deciding to return before 4 pm when supposedly item 13 will be discussed even though it supposedly was to start at 4 pm. It wasn’t until 7:10 or after that it began. A blur of people, doctors/nurses, pro/con currently working, about or already retired. People of the community, woman with child poetically challenged the planning commission, CPMC/IMP to seriously rethink the plans as not fully realized and others equally impassioned to let the plan go on to build a new Hospital instead of rebuilding St. Luke’s, an neighborhood institutional People’s Hospital that has withstood 80 years of community service. Filipino, Chinese, Mexican language's with interpreter’s spoke up for their neighborhood about the clear displacement if St. Luke's is replaced with CPMC’s Blocks wide centralized Monster-Has-It-All-Hospital. “That decentralization is no dim in-future time thing; we’ve already arrived!” Poor Magazine’s (“Bad News”) Bruce” Allison is here slightly agitated for a worker who has never spoken in public. It took a lot for her to publicly speak to the planning commission. Nancy may be her name? She informs the commission that she and her coworkers at St. Luke's fear not only job loss will occur but more families will be harmed if this plan of replacing St. Luke goes through. Bruce had her speak than himself knowing she can speak more forcefully about current state of St. Luke’s and representing many more people than just herself. When my name's called I hesitate, what I had written down was “Keep Sutter Hospital Corp Out!” Its not good for families, working folk, or children already caught up in the Hell-Care System!” But said: Don’t build this huge monster until these plans are looked over carefully. We know about the Titanic-let’s not build another one and make sure residents aren’t displaced.” A centralized hospital? We know everything is decentralized.” We can prevent this, read the plans, We need more hospitals, rebuild St. Luke.” "Think this through we need not build this!” Or words to that effect. It’s all a jumble now my analog tape player stopped. Its 8:20 pm. By the time public comment… oops I left so public comment still was going on. I did my civic duty and the day before I voted by mail. This is why I dread City Hall and politics. Yes, its our public republic democracy in action but for me its way to slow and I cringe when even contemplate how people elected to represent all of us has to toil through some of the headache inducing, mind numbing stuff rises up as escaping gas from broken pipes endless bogging us down. For comments go to www.poormagazine.org or TellJoe.poormagazine.org Oh, readers apologies for the late column I am getting back to writing a daily column and may be on a podcast too. |