Mayor Sharon and Margaret W: Polar opposites

Songstress and AIDS activist Margaret Whiting.

Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs

Plainfield Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs' request of videographer Brian Cox to delete Councilor Reid's references to the CFO's 'health issues' wasn't her only bizarre request at the Council's December 27th budget hearing.

Mayor Robinson-Briggs also asked that he turn the camera off while she made her remarks concerning HIV/AIDS cases in Plainfield.

Why the secrecy? The information is completely public and easily available (see state data here, and Plainfield here).

Turns out Her Honor was using the little bit of drama for another purpose.

How different from Margaret Whiting, who had an intimate connection with Plainfield and the fight against HIV/AIDS!

Whiting, a singer whose career began as a teen-ager during World War II, died Monday in Englewood at the age of 86.

In the mid-1980s, as Plainfield and the rest of the country were trying to make sense of the mysterious epidemic that was sweeping away so many, Margaret Whiting highlighted a cabaret in Plainfield to raise money for the fledgling Hyacinth AIDS Foundation (see here), which pioneered outreach and services to those with HIV/AIDS in the Garden State.

Plainfield realtor John DeMarco, who is also an accomplished cabaret singer, was instrumental in recruiting Whiting (whose first big hit was Moonlight in Vermont in 1943, at age eighteen) as well as jazz vocalist Marlene VerPlanck to headline the cabaret, sponsored by RSVP.

RSVP (Residents Supporting Victorian Plainfield) was formed in early 1984, after a successful Christmas party at Questover drew hundreds of Plainfield gays and lesbians. The formation of the group coincided with the deepening health crisis -- and the subsequent awareness that HIV/AIDS was not a 'gay problem', but a communitywide health issue of enormous proportions.

Thousands of dollars were raised by the Margaret Whiting event, at which the singer movingly talked about the friends and acquaintances she had lost to the AIDS epidemic.

RSVP members not only responded with the dollars at the event, but became active in supporting Hyacinth and in forming buddy groups pairing a volunteer with someone who was sick to provide companionship and help with chores, doctor's visits, etc.

Far from hiding the statistics from public view as Mayor Robinson-Briggs attempted to do, Whiting spurred RSVP members to get active in raising funds for medical research, providing social services and educating the community generally that what we were facing was a public health emergency.

Sadly, in those first years, hundreds of Plainfielders died without the care and help available, owing in part to an attitude of denial in the community -- especially with regard to the exposure of intravenous drug users -- against all of which RSVP members worked diligently.

Information was deemed essential to coming to grips with the epidemic and eventually lessening its deadly impact.

That is why it seemed so bizarre to hear Mayor Sharon try to make a secret of the current information.

At the end of her remarks, though, she revealed her real point: Mayor Sharon wanted a person from the Health Division slated for layoff to be spared to somehow deal with this public health issue.

Mayor Sharon made it sound like it was the Council's doing, and that they should undo it.

Truth to tell, however, the slot being laid off in the Health Division was proposed by none other than Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs herself.

What would Whiting think?

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• Obituary: Margaret Whiting:  "Billboard" |  "NY Times" | "Los Angeles Times" |
• Plainfield Today:  "Mayor Robinson-Briggs proposes a criminal act at budget hearing"
• NJ Dept. of Health & Senior Services:  "County & Municipal Stats" | "Plainfield Stats (PDF)"
• Website:  "Hyacinth AIDS Foundation"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Pit Bull bite: Cast of characters catches readers' attention

The pit bull story became something of a Rorschach test.

Little did I dream that yesterday's post about the Plainfield resident bitten by a pit bull (see here) would draw attention to so many other characters in the story.

It seems to have been something of a Rorschach test.

One reader wanted to know what about the dog that was bitten? I must confess I was more concerned about the human.

Another reader was concerned that the matter of the specific breed (pit bull) not be pushed as if all pit bulls were vicious, but rather the individual animal. Point well taken.

Others wonder if the police officer should have known or done more. Must confess I didn't check out whether the officer checked the dog's papers, but that certainly sounds like a reasonable expectation.

Two readers pointed out there certainly would have been a different story if the city's animal control officers had not been laid off. Amen to that.

Rob adds that his mileage with regard to the Health Division in a similar situation differs.

Then there were those who tied departmental performance to mayoral leadership, or lack of it. What can I say?

One reader wondered about the city phone system being on the fritz. Good question. It seems to have been a problem with Verizon, and a letter from the company to the city acknowledging the problem was published on the city website (see here [PDF]), presumably shortly after 5:00 PM on the 23rd, which is the time stamp on the PDF document. There is no notice of when, or if, the problem was resolved.

Plus one bit of advice to the victim: If you get to court, make sure part of the prosecutor's deal with the pit bull's owner is restitution of any out-of-pocket expenses not covered by insurance.

We'll still have to see if the victim's wife gets a call-back from the Health Division on Monday.

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• Plainfield Today:  "If you're gonna get bitten by a pit bull, don't do it in Plainfield"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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If you're gonna get bitten by a pit bull, don't do it in Plainfield

Pit Bull bites can be serious wounds, in addition to raising fears of tetanus, infection and rabies.

Today marks one week since a Plainfield resident, out walking his dog (on a leash) last Saturday was bitten by a pit bull in the Clinton School neighborhood. And still waiting for Plainfield's response.

The pit bull got loose from its owner's house when the owner opened the front door for someone to enter.

Known for their grip, this pit bull was no exception, biting the man's leashed dog and then biting him -- through a jacket and shirt sleeve -- before someone from the pit bull owner's house beat the dog off with a broom.

The victim's wife called 911 and a cop was dispatched.

When he arrived, he told the wife there was nothing he could do.

To which she replied that since the pit bull was loose and she was going to have to get medical treatment for her husband's bite she needed proof for the insurance company and that the one thing the officer could surely do was write up an incident report.

The officer agreed and did so.

The wife took her husband to MedEmerge, where the bite wound was dressed and a tetanus shot administered. The good folks at MedEmerge advised going to the Muhlenberg SED to get advice on whether or not a course of anti-rabies treatment was needed.

The wife was shown the dog's vaccination papers by the owner and was able to determine the 4-year-old dog's rabies vaccination had expired in June, 2009.

The folks at the Muhlenberg SED advised her that the pit bull should probably be quarantined to make sure it wasn't rabid, and to call the Plainfield Health Division to have them address the situation.

The wife duly called the Health Division (at 753-3092) and left a voicemail detailing the situation and her contact information.

By Tuesday morning, with no callback from the Health Division, and a recorded message that the number was 'no longer in service', she reached out to another division and got someone who advised the city's phone system was basically on the fritz but gave her a number where she would supposedly reach a real person who could handle her problem.

Again, she left a message.

On Wednesday afternoon, I spoke with the wife as she was preparing to take off for the Thanksgiving holiday, only to learn that as of 2:30 PM she still had not had a call back from anyone at City Hall to advise whether the biting dog would be quarantined as suggested and whether a citation would be issued against the pit bull's owner for the dog being at loose and for not having its rabies shots updated.

With City Hall closed until Monday, it will be ten days until she gets any answers as to what to do -- if she even gets them Monday.

Moral of the story: If you're gonna get bitten by a pit bull, don't do it in Plainfield.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Neighborhood Health Center gets $1.5M in federal grants

Plainfield's Neighborhood Health Services Center (known to all by its old moniker of Plainfield Health Center) has been awarded over $1.5 million in federal grants, according to the Health and Human Services website (see here, and details for New Jersey here).

$1.114 million is earmarked for capital improvements to the health center, which has numerous trailers in its parking lot for overflow program space, and another $436,677 for staffing for increased demand for services, which is partly predicated on the shunting of patients to the health center after the closing of Muhlenberg in August 2008.

Though the Obama administration is loath to refer publicly any longer to the 'stimulus' and 'recovery' monies previously appropriated, the website prominently refers to these grants as part of the RECOVERY program.

As with much of the rest of the 'stimulus' monies, they have been slow reaching the communities for which they were intended (Plainfield's neighborhood stabilization program monies are also just coming online), and are of uncertain benefit in creating jobs.

The announcement, while welcome (the Ledger ran an item here), is not likely to benefit the Obama administration's push to get Democrats re-elected (or elected) next Tuesday.

The wheels of government turn ever so slowly.

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• HHS Website --
• Grants Awarded:  "HHS announce major new investment in community health centers"
• NJ Awards:  "Recovery Act funding for NJ health centers"
  
• Ledger:  "NJ community health centers to receive $50M in funding"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Will Christie's charity care cuts push JFK over the edge?

Will Gov. Christie's revised charity-care payments to hospitals negatively affect Plainfield residents?

The question may well be asked after reports (see the Courier here, and the Ledger here) reveal that both Solaris' JFK (Muhlenberg isn't even mentioned any more) and Trinitas (which takes Plainfield's obstetrics cases) are looking at severe cuts under the new scheme.

JFK stands to lose $2.2 million and Trinitas $923,000.

Most worrisome to Plainfielders will be the JFK loss of funding, since Solaris must not only fund the operation of the JFK campus in Edison, but the Muhlenberg satellite emergency room, under the terms of the Certificate of Need allowing Solaris to shut down Muhlenberg in 2008.

With the long-term existence of the Muhlenberg SED a concern for Plainfielders and the issue of a new ambulance for Plainfield unresolved, the funding cut puts dark clouds on Plainfield's healthcare horizon.

This comes on top of persistent rumors that Solaris is on and ever more shaky financial footing, even having gone so far as putting its -- profitable -- home health care operation on the market.

If you're needing to sell off one of your money-making 'crown jewels', what does your future look like?

What would the healthcare map look like if JFK were gone?

What would the negative impacts be on delivery of healthcare services in the Muhlenberg service area, which includes Plainfield and twelve other communities?

Would EMT services be even more stressed out, with farther distances to go?

Would Plainfielders be at greater risk of negative -- or even fatal -- outcomes for cardiac or stroke emergencies?

Is there a calculation being made here that Plainfield lives are less valuable and more dispensable than others?

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• Courier: "NJ charity care up for some, reduced for JFK"
  
• Ledger: "New charity care funding will cause losses for JFK, Trinitas"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Statewide healthcare conference: An alert from Dottie Gutenkauf

Dottie Gutenkauf of Plainfield's Restore Muhlenberg/POP Coalition forwarded the following item on June 5 --

And breaking news: There’s a state-wide conference on Tuesday, June 8, “Making Health Care Work for New Jersey.” 9 am to 4:30 pm at the Rutgers Labor Education Center, 50 Labor Center Way, New Brunswick (off Route 1 South—take exit on Ryders Lane toward New Brunswick). See www.njforhealthcare.org/nj.html#june8 for the program, sponsoring organizations, and registration information (you can register online). Word is that former commissioner Heather Howard will speak or lead a workshop, but she’s not listed in the on-line program. I know it’s Primary Day, but the polls are open from 6 am to 8 pm, so there’s plenty of time for both.

If you have been concerned over the situation of healthcare services delivery in Plainfield, you will want to make an effort to attend. Registration and program are online.

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Bus to Muhlenberg court hearing Tuesday

Sign in supporter's yard at height of closure crisis.

In an email blast Saturday evening, Plainfield activist and Muhlenberg supporter Dottie Gutenkauf advises there will be a bus to Tuesday's court hearing in Morristown, after all.

Here is the message from Dottie --

Thanks to the People’s Organization for Progress, THERE WILL BE A BUS FROM PLAINFIELD to the Appellate Court hearing on Tuesday, February 23 in Morristown. The hearing is in the Court House on Washington Street at Court Street.

Our hearing starts at 9:30 am so we will have to be there early in order to go through security, etc. The bus will get to Plainfield at 7 am and leave for Morristown shortly thereafter. We will not be leaving from our usual location but instead from the municipal parking lot on Second Street and Central Avenue. If anything changes I will send out another email—so check your email on Monday for an update, or call me Monday late afternoon or evening at 908-668-1149. The cost for the bus is $20 per person.

We will also have carpooling available—a number of people have already indicated they can take passengers. We’ll meet at the bus pickup location. For directions, go to http://www.co.morris.nj.us/maps/dirarbc.asp

These are the oral arguments in the lawsuit brought by the City as a result of the activism of supporters of Muhlenberg.

Now that Heather Howard is no longer commissioner over hospital matters, there seems to be a chance that the Christie administration will re-examine the closure process.

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Swine Flu clinic today

Plainfield's second Swine Flu clinic will be held today at the Snyder Schools of Nursing at Muhlenberg.

Per a news release from the State, as of this week H1N1 vaccinations have been opened to the general public. (See the story in Thursday's Star-Ledger (see here.)

This means that the general population not included in the previous guidelines concerning high-risk groups may now go to the clinics. The story also notes that Walgreen's is making the shots available at many of its locations (it has already been available at the Plainfield location).

No word has been given by Plainfield authorities as to whether they will comply with the state's directive, and the flyers on the City's website remain unchanged, indicating only the previously targeted 'high risk' groups.

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H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccination Clinic

Saturday, December 19
9 AM - 4 PM
Snyder School of Nursing
Muhlenberg Campus
Park Avenue at Moffatt Avenue

Flyer: English | Spanish
Info: (908) 753-3092

---

• Ledger: "Health department says vaccine available for all"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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UPDATE: Swine Flu vaccinations opened to all

UPDATE: Swine Flu vaccinations opened to all. Per a story in Thursday's Star-Ledger (see here), the state has issued a directive that H1N1 vaccinations are to be open to all who wish to be vaccinated -- meaning that the general population not included in the previous guidelines concerning high-risk groups may now go to the clinics. The story also notes that Walgreen's is making the shots available at many of its locations (it has already been available at the Plainfield location).

The flyer for Plainfield's second H1N1 (Swine Flu) clinic was spotted in the City Hall rotunda on Tuesday. Two skimpy little piles of ten or so on an otherwise naked pickup table -- one in English, one in Spanish (evidently the Robinson-Briggs administration has never learned the old trick of printing the English and Spanish versions back-to-back, saving trees and the need for two piles of flyers). No word on whether any of Plainfield's doses are included in the recall announced on Tuesday.

No flyers were found at the Health Center or the Library, suggesting you must make a pilgrimage to City Hall if you want the details.

Even if most of the 500 doses dispensed in November were to infants and children who need a second 'booster' shot, the City will still be faced with having about 1,000 doses unused after Saturday's clinic -- unless they pull off a big publicity push.

Not likely from the evidence of past efforts.

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H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccination Clinic

Saturday, December 19
9 AM - 4 PM
Snyder School of Nursing
Muhlenberg Campus
Park Avenue at Moffatt Avenue

Flyer: English | Spanish
Info: (908) 753-3092

---

• Ledger: "Health department says vaccine available for all"

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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UPDATE: Plainfield's 2nd Swine Flu clinic

The flyer for Plainfield's second H1N1 (Swine Flu) clinic was spotted in the City Hall rotunda on Tuesday. Two skimpy little piles of ten or so on an otherwise naked pickup table -- one in English, one in Spanish (evidently the Robinson-Briggs administration has never learned the old trick of printing the English and Spanish versions back-to-back, saving trees and the need for two piles of flyers). No word on whether any of Plainfield's doses are included in the recall announced on Tuesday.

No flyers were found at the Health Center or the Library, suggesting you must make a pilgrimage to City Hall if you want the details.

Even if most of the 500 doses dispensed in November were to infants and children who need a second 'booster' shot, the City will still be faced with having about 1,000 doses unused after Saturday's clinic -- unless they pull off a big publicity push.

Not likely from the evidence of past efforts.

---

H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccination Clinic

Saturday, December 19
9 AM - 4 PM
Snyder School of Nursing
Muhlenberg Campus
Park Avenue at Moffatt Avenue

Flyer: English | Spanish
Info: (908) 753-3092

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Second Swine Flu clinic scheduled

Snyder School of Nursing at Muhlenberg will host the clinic.

Trolling Plainfield's official website Friday morning, I discovered that a second H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccination clinic has been scheduled for this coming Saturday, December 19, (see here, PDF).

It struck me as odd that the flyer included a second -- blank -- page, and that I didn't see a Spanish version.

Recalling that the city's first clinic netted only 500 vaccinations for 2,000 available doses (while Cranford conducted a clinic on the same day and disposed of all its 2,000 doses), I thought to check out the flyer's distribution before writing up the clinic.

First stop, City Hall. No flyers in evidence in the several spots in the Rotunda where such are often placed, though an employee I bumped into did say they had heard there was going to be a clinic but they did not know any details.

Given that the top four target groups include pregnant women, infants and children and their caregivers to age 18, the next logical place to check seemed to be the Neighborhood Health Services Center (PHC to old-timers) on Myrtle Avenue, where Plainfielders in these target groups turn for medical services.

The parking lot was full, so I pulled up near the entry (supposedly a no-no, but I was hardly alone). The courteous woman at the reception desk said she knew nothing of a vaccination clinic, but indicated I should check the literature table in the corner. The table was full of handouts for various services, but no swine flu flyer from the City.

Surely, there would be some at the Plainfield Public Library, which has a large literature pickup table? Nope.

I decided to wait until Monday to put up a post so folks could get a heads up.

Checking the city's website this morning, I find a) there is now a Spanish version of the flyer available (see here), and b) the original 2-page English flyer has been tidied up with the removal of the blank second page.

That's progress.

Now, if the Robinson-Briggs administration can just get the word out to the public, maybe the city can dispense its remaining 1,500 doses.

Send the flyers home with elementary school children?

Now, there's a thought.

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H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccination Clinic

Saturday, December 19
9 AM - 4 PM
Snyder School of Nursing
Muhlenberg Campus
Park Avenue at Moffatt Avenue

Flyer: English | Spanish
Info: (908) 753-3092

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Swinish handling of Plainfield's Swine Flu program

With H1N1 swine flu still pandemic, Plainfielders are waiting to hear about further vaccine clinics sponsored by the City.

After only 500 inoculations out of 2,000 available were distributed at its November 21 clinic at Muhlenberg's Snyder School of Nursing (see story here), the city said --

... [it] plans to hold at least two more clinics, with dates and times being announced in the near future. Colicchio said a school-based event is being discussed as well.

Four issues have emerged in the Robinson-Briggs administration's handling of Plainfield's response to the H1N1 pandemic --

1. When will the rest of the vaccines be distributed?
   
   
2. Why was turnout so low?
   
   
3. Why isn't the Health Center being used?
   
   
4. Why isn't Plainfield listed on the the Union County website?
   
   

FURTHER DISTRIBUTIONS?

What is the holdup in announcing further vaccination clinics? It is now TWO WEEKS TO THE DAY since Plainfield's initial clinic. That is A LONG TIME in terms of a flu season, not 'the near future'.

ADDRESSING TURNOUT

The turnout for Plainfield's initial clinic was UNACCEPTABLY LOW, with excuses offered by Health Officer Colicchio and Mayor Robinson-Briggs. That Plainfield could have done much better is shown by the fact that Cranford, a much smaller municipality (23,000 vs. 50,000 for Plainfield), successfully distributed nearly 2,000 swine flu shots at its clinic held on the same day as Plainfield's (see story here).

USING PLAINFIELD HEALTH CENTER

Many Plainfielders familiar with healthcare services delivery in Plainfield were puzzled by the City's selection of Muhlenberg as the site for the clinic. Not only Muhlenberg, but the Snyder School of Nursing -- for which the City gave the address as 'Park Avenue and Randolph Road', which is not correct; the Nursing School is on the corner of Park and Moffatt Avenues.

Why wasn't the LOGICAL CHOICE -- The Plainfield Health Center -- used? In the first place, it is supposed to be the main place Plainfielders turn to now that Solaris has closed Muhlenberg. Secondly, the target at-risk populations are already heavy users of the Health Center. Was this the Mayor's call? Or Colicchio's? Are either really aware of patterns of healtchcare services delivery in Plainfield? No offense to Muhlenberg, but that strikes me as a dumb call.

PUBLICIZING CLINICS

Union County has posted H1N1 swine flu clinics throughout the County on its website (see here). Can you guess which municipality is MISSING FROM THE LIST? Maybe you'd have better luck on the City's website (see here). Nope. In fact, it seems to me there is LESS INFORMATION than the week of the original clinic, when a notice was posted the Thursday before the Saturday event. That notice is since gone, replaced by a link to a generic handout.

It seems to me the low turnout at Plainfield's first clinic is directly attributable to POOR PUBLICITY AND PROMOTION --

• LATE NOTICE (two days in advance);
• POOR DISTRIBUTION of information;
• RELIANCE ON WRONG OUTLETS -- using Plainfield's cable station only (who watches it?), instead of popular media such as Harvest Radio and Zarephath; and the City's website, which gets only an average of about 2,500 hits PER MONTH.

With 1,500 doses yet unused in Plainfield there is yet one more consideration you would hope our public health officials would address -- providing vaccines to those (admittedly few) persons who do not fit within the broad guidelines as to who is at-risk, but who have already compromising underlying health conditions that would make an H1N1 infection dangerous if not fatal. A sensible public health policy would provide a mechanism for these few people to also receive the vaccine, rather than let it sit in some refrigerator somewhere.

The H1N1 swine flu pandemic is a life-threatening public health emergency for at-risk populations. Responsible, ethical leadership by Mayor Robinson-Briggs and Plainfield's health officer in the face of this need deserve better than the swinish treatment so far offered.

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• Courier, 11/21/09: "Plainfield rolls out H1N1 vaccines"
• Ledger, 11/27/09: "Nearly 2,000 get swine flu shots from Cranford"
• Union County Website: "Swine Flu Clinic Schedule"
• Plainfield Website: "Announcements"
  

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Free Swine Flu vaccinations Saturday

Per Plainfield's Health Division, FREE Swine Flu vaccinations are available Saturday --

FREE H1N1 (SWINE FLU) VACCINATION CLINIC

WHERE:	Muhlenberg Campus School of Nursing Park and Moffett Avenues
WHEN:	Saturday, November 21, 2009
TIME:	9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

PRIORITY GROUPS FOR THE CLINIC

• Pregnant Women
• Caregivers of infants up to 6 months old
• Children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years old

For more information, contact the City of Plainfield Health Division:
(908) 753-3092

---

-- Dan Damon [follow]

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A Plainfield swine flu runaround

Consider Pat Kavanaugh's Kafkaesque quest for a swine flu shot.

The Plainfield native, community activist, and retired Star-Ledger reporter told me she has been trying to get a shot for the better part of a month.

A newsie, she is well aware there have been both production and delivery issues with the vaccine. She was led by the story in Sunday's Ledger of Union County's misadventures -- in which fewer syringes than vaccine were supplied, leaving officials scrambling for needles (see here) -- to try once again.

You see, she had already been in touch with Plainfield's Health Division and suggested enlisting the aid of Assemblyman Jerry Green (as she notes, 'the third most important member of the Assembly'). The woman at the Health Division thought that was a wonderful idea and suggested that Pat make the outreach, which she did.

Yesterday, she learned that the Assemblyman had instructed his aide to call Plainfield's Health Division. Click, Kafkaesque happenstance number one.

That was in the course of reaching out the to the Health Division (got voicemail), the mayor's confidential aide Barbara James (busy), and the City Administrator (answered by the Mayor's office, told he was 'in a meeting').

Called the Health Division AGAIN, got a real person and asked for the Health Officer.

"He's out sick."

"Who's in charge?"

"No one's in charge."

Click, Kafkaesque happenstance number two.

Pat then called the Union County Senior Citizens office, which told her to call the Plainfield Senior Center. Pat countered by asking to be transferred to the Union County Health Department. The woman didn't know how to transfer the call.

Moving up the chain, Pat then called the Union County switchboard and asked for the county Health Department.

Connected, she asked for the Director, Lester Jones.

"He's in a meeting."

Pat read the list of the towns the Ledger reported had received the vaccine.

"That's because Freeholder Proctor is the health officer for those towns."

Click, Kafkaesque happenstance number three.

Ever resourceful, Pat called the county switchboard yet again and asked to speak to Freeholder, and Plainfielder, Rayland Van Blake.

Was told Freeholder Van Blake would be back in touch.

Then the man in the freeholder's office called back to tell Pat she could go to Linden for a shot on the 10^th, the 12^th, or the 16^th.

"You mean tomorrow (the 10^th)?

"I don't know today's date, so I don't know if tomorrow is the 10^th."

Click, Kafkaesque happenstance number four.

Pat called his attention to the fact that as a government employee he would be off on Wednesday the 11^th (for Veterans Day), so he should be able to figure out that the day before is the 10^th.

She says she noted to him that in mental hospitals, the date is posted to help keep patients oriented, and perhaps the County should try that to help its employees do the same.

Still no word of if or when swine flu shots will be coming to Plainfield.

Perhaps after the season? Perhaps never?

Kafkaesque?

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-- Dan Damon [follow]

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Should Muhlenberg advisory group take up ambulance issue?

Now that Plainfielders finally have an advisory group to monitor Solaris' compliance with the terms allowing it to shut down Muhlenberg as a critical-care hospital, the question arises whether one of the first items it should take up is the 'ambulance issue'.

After Sunday's fatal accident in front of his house involving a motorcycle stolen in New York City and driven by a Plainfield man, Councilor Rashid Burney circulated an email (addressed to 'the political leaders of Plainfield') describing the length of time it took to get ambulances for the fatally injured rider and three passengers in the car which the motorcycle struck.

Burney reports the North Plainfield Rescue Squad responded first within minutes of the accident and tried to resuscitate the rider; they took him away toward Muhlenberg.

The Fire Division extricated two of the car's occupants and put them on stretchers. According to Burney, the Watchung Rescue Squad arrived about 40 minutes after the accident and took the driver, while a Somerset MC ambulance came along minutes later and took the minor away (Burney seems not to account for the third occupant of the car).

This whole scene underscores one of the problems that was pointed out when Solaris first proposed closing Muhlenberg -- that the extra distance involved in transporting by ambulance to JFK or other hospitals would impair the quality of emergency response services in Plainfield.

Not to worry, we were told. All the bases will be covered, it was said. Other ambulances will pitch in and service will not suffer.

Unfortunately, Burney does not address the probability that the Plainfield Rescue Squad was simply already occupied and could not be in two places at once. Keep in mind that mutual aid between rescue squads is a long-established, highly reliable tactic given the limited resources available to any one community.

The most recent metrics on the Muhlenberg SED indicate that ambulance times from the SED to another hospital have crept up from 60 minutes to 67 minutes. That would mean that if the Plainfield Rescue Squad were transporting a patient to JFK when the motorcycle fatality happened it could be 'out of the water' for up to two hours -- more if the hospital were further away than JFK. Whose fault is that?

What ever happened to the second ambulance that Muhlenberg supporters believe was promised as part of the closure terms?

The issue has not be resolved, as far as I know, with Solaris claiming that no ambulance was ever promised to be provided to the Plainfield Rescue Squad.

Burney is looking for the Robinson-Briggs administration to bring forth a proposal to the Council on the EMT situation in Plainfield since, he says, the Rescue Squad is in a shaky financial position.

He is right that something should be done.

Volunteer rescue squads everywhere are always scrambling for money (recall that North Plainfield's was actually shut down briefly this past spring). Getting insurers to reimburse is one of the chief sources of funding, but as anyone knows, nothing is easy or automatic about reimbursements in the healthcare system.

Volunteer rescue squads generally have a high level of enthusiasm and dedication to providing EMT services (why would anyone volunteer otherwise?), but a low level of administrative, management and marketing savvy. That's one extreme positive trait and one negative.

If the city were to propose abolishing the Rescue Squad and instituting paid services provided by city employees, everyone would do well to take a deep breath and think that one through.

That would mean replacing ONE POSITIVE (volunteer enthusiasm and dedication) and ONE NEGATIVE (thin administrative and marketing skills) with THREE NEGATIVES:
the cost of city employees (and their benefits and pensions), the loss of that volunteer enthusiasm and no improvement in management or marketing savvy.

I am not convinced this administration, which has yet to discover the value of detailed memoranda (as opposed to glitzy PowerPoint presentations), is up to the task of inventorying the positives and negatives of the Rescue Squad, prioritizing the issues and proposing reasonable and effective means for dealing with the issues.

Instead of looking to the Robinson-Briggs administration to simply tear down what is here, why not look to the new Muhlenberg advisory committee for pointers on what to do, keeping in mind President Obama's mantra when he spoke to the AMA recently about his healthcare proposals (see here): "Fix what is broken; build on what works".

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-- Dan Damon

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Comments caught up: Four topics

Plainfield Today comments are now caught up --

• "Plainfield as a Transit Village: The worst of times is the best of times" (7 comments)
  
  
• "Stimulus Surprise for Plainfield? (1)" (2 comments)
  
  
• "Stimulus Money revitalizing the neighborhood of developer's bank account" (2 comments)
  
  
• "Muhlenberg and Pascack: Double standard exposed" (4 comments)

You will note the first three topics are germane to tonight's SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING, called by Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs to approve the city's application for federal ARRA monies for an affordable housing project on West 2nd Street.

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City Council
Tonight
7:30 - Agenda Meeting
8:00 - Special Meeting
At City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Avenue
(Parking and entry at the rear of the building)

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-- Dan Damon

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Muhlenberg and Pascack: Double standard exposed

Plainfielders' suspicions that the state has a double standard with regard to hospital closings was confirmed by way of a story in Friday's Bergen Record about the proposed reopening of Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood (see here).

Buried deep in the story about resistance to Hackensack UMC's efforts at reopening the bankrupt hospital is this bit --

...[t]he licenses for Muhlenberg, Barnert and other city hospitals expired — yet Pascack Valley's license was permitted to remain open for up to two years (emphasis added).

It was precisely this condition that Commissioner Heather Howard said could not be granted in Muhlenberg's case.

(You will recall that Assemblyman Green apparently never did any homework on the question of keeping the license active, only getting in the game after Dr. Harold Yood pointed out -- see here -- that South Amboy Hospital's license had been kept active for several years after it closed. Green's tardiness on the matter gave Howard the upper hand.)

Howard's keeping the Pascack Valley license active has smoothed the way for Hackensack UMC's proposal to reopen the closed hospital under its ownership.

To which Asm. Gordon Johnson (D-Englewood) objects, along with two area hospitals, the Bergen County NAACP and a host of others. Johnson even complained to Gov. Corzine in a private meeting (something Assemblyman Green never did).

Perhaps the biggest way the Corzine administration has dropped the ball during his term has been the failure to come up with a coherent -- and fair -- statewide hospitals and healthcare plan.

The failure to do so, with the mealy-mouthed and waffling 'rationalization' report, betrayed the political difficulties of the issue. Things have only gotten worse as the perception continues to grow that the default policy is to favor locating hospitals away from urban areas and toward the suburbs, leaving a third-world/first-world dichotomy.

This being an election year, with Gov. Corzine facing an uphill battle, everyone seems exquisitely attuned to the political difficulties of the situation. Brigid Harrison, a political science professor at Montclair State opines --

" Governor Corzine needs to consider advantages of gaining votes in constituencies in Bergen County who are advocating for the hospital – and that's really important because Bergen is a bellwether in state politics – versus alienating African-American legislators who are a core constituency in his party, " Harrison said. " Perhaps the best solution is to do nothing. "

Hackensack UMC certainly knows how the game is played -- they have requested a six-month extension in resolving their request to reopen Pascack. Let's see...that would take us past the November election. Gee whiz! Fancy that!

Meanwhile, Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs has yet to publicly identify any members of the citizens advisory board that she promised Commissioner Howard last September (see here) would be coming 'by the end of the month'. That was last September; nothing has happened since.

Howard's representative stated at the June 2009 State Health Planning Board meeting (see here) that if Robinson-Briggs didn't appoint the body by 'next month's meeting' -- meaning July 2009, Commissioner Howard would act to see that one was put in place.

So here we are, with no news Mayor Sharon has done the deed.

Double standards on the part of the state.

No standards on the part of the Mayor.

And the governor laying low?

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• Record: "Keep hospital shut, blacks tell Corzine"
  

-- Dan Damon

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Mayor Sharon's swine flu plan

With New Jersey reporting five possible cases (story here), and the swine flu threat raised by the World Health Organization to a '4' (out of a possible '6'), Plainfielders may well wonder what emergency plan Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs has in place.

And wonder. And wonder. And wonder.

While the front page of the city's website has a link to a Fact Sheet (PDF) on swine flu (see here), it gives the appearance of being a CDC fact sheet, with yesterday's CDC confirmations. Credit should probably go to the city's new Health Officer, whose name you will not learn from the city's website.

However, the fact sheet leaves unanswered a couple of questions that are the responsibility of Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs --

• Why is no press release from the mayor on this matter posted on the city website? (For that fact, there is no press release for tonight's -- apparently hastily called -- forum on recreation either.)
  
  
• Why is there no mention of an emergency plan to deal with an outbreak, should one occur?

Is it because emergency preparedness is just not very high on Mayor Robinson-Briggs' agenda?

Back in May of 2008, the CountyWatchers' Pat Quattrocchi posted a thoughtful piece on the problems the closure of Muhlenberg posed for Union County's disaster preparedness plans (see here) --

The County’s Office of Emergency Management Director, Frank Guzzo, made an important observation at the March 6th Freeholder meeting when he commented that “[Muhlenberg's] closing affects the county’s disaster preparedness plans, which will have to be reviewed and revised.”

Plainfield is supposed to have its own Disaster Preparedness Plan as part of the county's overall emergency preparedness.

Last summer, writing about an emergency gas main leak on East 2nd Street, I noted that the event raised questions about Mayor Robinson-Briggs' disaster plan (full story here) --

[This event] raises questions about the general safety of Plainfielders should a disaster -- natural or man-made -- happen...[w]hich raises the question of the city's Disaster Preparedness Plan.

Where is it? Many cities have the public information component of their plans online. So, you can find Plainfield's online, right? Dream on.

The plan, which was massively updated during the simulated bioterrorist attack a few years ago, has as its major component a fully functioning and equipped acute-care hospital -- Muhlenberg.

Without Muhlenberg, the plan will need to be updated. Or maybe it already has been? With another hospital as the location to which the sick or wounded would be transported.

By the Plainfield Rescue Squad's only working ambulance.

Right past Muhlenberg for another 20 minutes or so to JFK. Or would it be over the highway and through the woods to Overlook? Or maybe a hop down traffic-clogged Rt 22 to Somerset MC. A zigzag through Piscataway's local streets to RWJ?

I'm sure it's all been planned out, and you can rest your little head without a worry.

I'm sure the Mayor has a plan.

Let's hope it's not called 'Unity through disaster'.

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• Plainfield Website: "Swine Flu Fact Sheet"
• Ledger: "Jersey reports 5 likely cases of swine flu"
• CountyWatchers, 5/4/2008: "How will hospital closing affect Union County?"
• Plainfield Today, 8/21/2008: "How safe are you?"

-- Dan Damon

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Bedbugs: Coming to Plainfield?

Perhaps Plainfielders should prepare for what is probably inevitable: the invasion of bedbugs.

While bedbugs have gotten considerable attention in larger cities over the last few months (a search on the NY Times turned up 7,380 results), little has been said of New Jersey.

Until now.

Assemblywoman Joan Quigley (D-Hudson) testified at a national summit on bedbugs yesterday that they are becoming a scourge once again, and discussed her proposed legislation to require health inspectors to oversee extermination of infestations in New Jersey. Her bill, which passed the Assembly, is currently bottled up in the Senate.

Meanwhile, I have learned that bedbugs are already an issue in Elizabeth.

Does that mean their relentless march will reach Plainfield?

What did they use to say in the '60s: Arm yourself or harm yourself?

You may want to read some how-to tips here.

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• Jersey Journal: "Bedbugs on Quigley's agenda at national summit"
  
• Bergen Record: "Bedbugs making a comeback, legislator says"
  
• NYTimes: "Keeping those bedbugs from biting"
  

-- Dan Damon

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Plainfield's Neighborhood Health Center gets new funds

Plainfield's Neighborhood Health Center will get $435,677 in fresh funding announced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg for New Jersey community-based health centers through the Economic Recovery Act.

The new funds are to be used to renovate facilities or offer primary care to more New Jersey families, according to a press release issued Tueday evening.

For more details, see Sen. Lautenberg's website here.

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-- Dan Damon

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