New Closed MRI Approved For DMH...Right Choice?
Topic emailed today:
The County Commission on the recommendation of the Hospital Board just approved an expenditure of $1,261,526.00 to purchase a new closed type MRI scanner for Doctors Memorial Hospital from excess gas tax revenue. For those unfamiliar with MRI scanners the closed type scanner is commonly referred to as a tube or tunnel type MRI whereas an open type scanner is what the name implies, open. Many hospitals utilize an open type scanner as it provides patient comfort and enhances revenue. An abundance of doctors also prefer an open scanner over a closed scanner and refer their patients only to facilities which utilize open MRI type units. This occurs not only here in Taylor County locally but across the nation. Once again DMH has turned to the county for substantial financial help. What is your opinion? Was the recommendation by DMH and subsequent action by the County Commission the correct decision for the betterment of Taylor County residents?
The County Commission on the recommendation of the Hospital Board just approved an expenditure of $1,261,526.00 to purchase a new closed type MRI scanner for Doctors Memorial Hospital from excess gas tax revenue. For those unfamiliar with MRI scanners the closed type scanner is commonly referred to as a tube or tunnel type MRI whereas an open type scanner is what the name implies, open. Many hospitals utilize an open type scanner as it provides patient comfort and enhances revenue. An abundance of doctors also prefer an open scanner over a closed scanner and refer their patients only to facilities which utilize open MRI type units. This occurs not only here in Taylor County locally but across the nation. Once again DMH has turned to the county for substantial financial help. What is your opinion? Was the recommendation by DMH and subsequent action by the County Commission the correct decision for the betterment of Taylor County residents?
i think its another mistake on the countys part.i also see they budgeted 100.000 dollars for the old hospitalto apparently sell it or to turn it into offices.enoughs enough the sheriffs dept and city police police should pay that since theyr the ones who used it as a training site for their drug dogs and paintballed the inside too,andwhen did ms pemberton get promoted to asst county administrator another example of wasteful spending and no vision on the counties part
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well here we go again,foleyboy is thinking again.did ya think for one minute foleyboy that the county just ran out and bought the first mri that came along.long hard hours were committed to research for the thing at the best possible price,on advice also from the dog gone people that are gonna be running it!if you have been following the issue it is necessary to have this piece of equipment here in perry, so you,me and everybody else can get the same care without having to drive to tallahassee or gainsville.As far as using the old hospital for training whats wrong with that?I think utilizing county property thats vacant for the sheriffs dept. and city pd training is being very resourceful.And have you ever sold a house?i bet you fixed it up a little to attract a buyer didnt you?The same goes for the old hospital!It,s kinda like fixin up an old mobile home and then reselling it huh foleyboy!
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i see you think with something other than your brain,sarcasm and ridicule is neither warranted or appreciated.if you doyour research youd never take this position or be verbaly abusive to anyone or condescending.if they were going to fix it up why wait so long to do it no something else is going onhere with that, i think destroying the interior of a building i helped pay for is very disrespectfull to taxpayers also id rather drive to tallahassee for competent care which i dont see available here huh nasty cracker apprpriate name as well
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oh well who,s being verbally abusive and condescending?im not tne one slamming a county employee or condeming a group of elected officials making a decision instead of sitting on their rumps doing nothing.You talk about progress and your tax dollars being spent unwisely foleyboy.well then run for office or better yet walk in another man or womens shoes before you start your abusive behavior towards that person or group.OH,by the way im proud to be a cracker,but i did have to work on being nasty,took me awhile!
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obviously you dont comprehend your own statements.first you slam me for thinking then you imply i havent followed the issue third you imply i dont have the right to an opinion ,only you can have that.i have the right to my opinion and you nasty dont have the right to ignore it your free to dissagree,but do so in a civil manner as for slamming an employee i dont think so all i asked was when she got promoted so get your facts straight.lastlyyou dont know if im involved politicaly or not,grabbing at straws and being nasty isnt changing anything and by theway im a cracker too
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Gang,
Please, open MR' have their place, they are nice for claustrophobic patients but are limited on their fat sats, which generally means poor shoulder work, etc. and certain other exams. Also, many of todays MR's are short bore, meaning the long tube of yester year are gone. Unless they are buying an older model I would think this is the best move for the hospital, you can't do MRA's or run offs on an open MR! Which means if that's what they put in many of you would still be running to Tallahassee of Gainesville.
Cheers!
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I am interest in the subject matter at hand, not the old hospital nor the mud slinging. Comments should be directed to the subject matter. Thanks
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the the old hospital should be part of this debate.unlike you i am interested in the old hospital as it bears a lot on the new.so please dont tell me how to think or talk.thank you
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Well first of all foleyboy, i do comprehend my own statements and were responding to your statements.And you have voiced your opinion on how you feel about law enforcement.grasping at straws?where did that come from!anyway,you may not care if you have to drive to Gainesville but many others do ,not to mention the revenue this machine will bring into the hospital. And the trickle down effect will occur by keeping some people employed.Doctors will be able to diagnose problems faster and more clear.What is the old hospital doing for the county now besides being a training center(nothing)so why not try to generate revenue by leasing office space in it?look at this town and where it has gone in the last 5 years.I have seen more businesses fold than open.The county is obviously trying to save the hospital and stimulate some business.now if you are interested in the old hospital as you say then offer up a suggestion as to what to do with it.And im sure Mrs.Pemberton doesn't appreciate you questioning whether she deserves a promotion,who are you the promotion police?From one cracker to another!
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i dont realy care if she appreciates it or not.revenue for a hospital thats failed to show it can besolvent is not a good arguement,and i continue to question the money being paid out to propit up.why did the county wait all this time to decide to fix up an asset that they have left dormant for years.i believe the hospital should get its house in order become solvent then add equpment it needs ,so far all iveseen is give us money ive seen no increase of servicejust incompetence,i used it for years paid my bills and got a notice from a collection agncy, saying i owed them 400.00 dollars when i went out there they said oh we forgot to remove this from our system where you paid this off five years ago,until i see better than that i will continue to question the hospital
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Isn't there an MRI machine at the Premier Clinic? Why can't it be shared?
THe old hospital -- I don't know what kind of condition it is in. Is it safe enough for usage on a full time basis?
I know the Gov't (VA) was looking to use it, but said it was going to be costly to renovate and would be cheaper for them to build from scratch.
Now that would have been a great use of local money ---- help the VA get the building in top notch shape.
Stimulas money please? How many jobs would that have greate????
If the building is safe to use --
how about a lot of small shops- antique, specialty shops, house the chamber of commerce there
A perpetual garage sale for different organizations. Out of the weather and small enough to be profitable.
There could be classes given on a verity of subjects --- with bus service for those that can't drive.
THe old Depot in town will be having small business' open up shortly, what is that call? Oh yea! Incubators.
How many people will this employ? Also how many man-hours were spent on doing the great job of restoring it? It really does look great.
THere is plenty of parking, so traveling folks could go with their RV's and shop - then take Ash Street to US 19.
Sorry I got off the track --
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The old hospital is ruined ,isn't it?I heard the county let PPD and TCSO do terror training and other very foolish thing insind destroying it.I heard it was full of mold and mildew.I heard they shot the walls up and let them be saturated with water.
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I know our town is small, but does the phrase better safe than sorry come to mind. I work with law enforcement and those "terror trainings" could save your butts one day. They did not just go in like a bunch of drunk teenagers and pillage and vandalize. They WERE putting tax payers dollars to good use by being proactive. I see the worst kinds of crimes being committed in the town that I was born and raised in and to hear people degrade the police officers and sheriffs deputies, who are putting their lives on the line for all of us and to preserve this town, makes me sick. Listen to yourselves and have some respect for the men and women there. Oh, and the MRI machine would be a good idea.
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Isn't the old hospital used when American Aluminum hosts all the law enforcement for dog training, maybe they could take some of the money American Aluminum pays for it's use, and put it on maintanence, providing American Aluminum pays for it's use.
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Turn it into a mental health facility or a drug rehab center!! God knows theres no shortage of crazies and crackheads running around Perry!
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Nasty Cracker, I tend to agree. Using the former hospital as office space is a great idea. Should DMH want to recruit specialized and general physicians to the area, having a space is critical to recruiting new docs to the area. The closer to DMH the better. Also having the latest technology and OR's available at the hospital will help recruit these physicians. You have to have some type of attraction, which is why a 64-slice CT and a new MRI are critical pieces of technology to have to serve a rural area. Local citizens want excellent care in their own home town.
EY
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Can we please discuss the MRI machine which has been down for a year and ALL that Lost revenue and why we are going to be subjected to a CLOSED TUB TYPE???????? anyone who has had an MRI should know that being in a tunnel for at least 20 to 40 min depending on what was ordered is just asking for problems I can't believe the county is going backwards AGAIN and as for Pat Paterson saying a few minutes of discomfort has not had a MRI.....Can anyone tell me why the County Comm and the Hospital did what they did???? also it seems to me that they want to close it
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The MRI at Premier is not strong at all. I have had several MRIs myself, all of them closed. They are loud, and can be scary. But everyone that I have talked to, doctors, radiologist, radiologist techs, all say that the closed MRI produces better pictures, and results. The Open MRI that was being presented to DMH was refurbished. It would not have been a quality piece of equipment in the end. I really don't think it is that inconvenient for patients to receive something for phobias, nerves,(etc) from their doctor if they need an MRI. I work at DMH and have never had a problem getting an order for a patient to receive anything when they needed an MRI. I think it is more important to get better, accurate, results.
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flrn, good point, one I forgot in my post. Open MRI machines are not the strength, magnet-wise, from a closed. Close units have a magnet strength from 1.0, to 1.5, to 3.0. They are even working on stronger strengths and gradients, which all work in unison to make great quality pictures. Open are at best 1.0 or less, leaving the quality poor and the fat sats poor as well!
EY
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I had an MRI done at premier and the results (to my untrained eye) were no better than a blurry X-ray.
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Any person in Taylor County with the means and insurance to go to the doctor and not use the DMH Emergency for primary care is not going to use the DMH MRI, no matter if it is closed or open. This is such a waste of DMH/County resources. DMH cannot provide the level of service or compete with other providers in Tallahassee, Gainesville and/or Jacksonville. When there is enough business in the county for an MRI, any group can bring a 18-wheeler truck trailer in Perry, back it up-plug it in and bingo-provide competition for the DMH MRI. What type of fools do we have on the DMH board? Was any cost-benefit analysis done, any business plan, or just a free trip and a free meal? Duh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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As the most vocal proponet for a new model open MRI magnet for DMH I feel that I must comment on a representation made on this blog by "flrn" wherein the implication was made that and I quote "The open MRI that was being presented to DMH was refurbished", "It would not have neen a quality piece of equipment in the end", end quote. First let me say to "flrn", you are good, really good as you apparently possess mental powers that far exceed that of the rest of us. Second, DMH never considered an open MRI unit and this is quite evident when Commissioner Page on August 18th in a commission meeting asked why an open unit was not considered. The response by DMH was that an open unit would not fit in the room so designated for MRI. Another representation by DMH also implied that an open unit would cost several hundred thousand dollars more than a closed unit therefore consideration was not given. These representations by DMH management were in fact inaccurate. I thereafter personally provided each Commissioner and DMH management with a detailed engineering study undertaken in June 07 which clearly refuted the DMH representation that a open unit would not fit. Furthermore, as a private citizen and after the bid proposals were submitted to DMH I personally contacted certain MRI company representatives to obtain info on their open MR magnets. I obtained pricing from 2 companies which included not only the unit itself but also installation costs, staff training and a one year warrenty which was the same warrenty offered on the closed unit proposals. The price difference that I obtained was not several hundred thousand dollars more but rather $13,474.00 for an open unit and I have since shared this price info with the commissioners. At no time have I shared info to ANYONE as to whether this price was for a new or refurbished unit especially whoever "flrn" may be. May I suggest to "flrn", an employee of DMH, get your facts straight before speaking and leave the mis-representations to DMH management.
I will most likely comment further on the closed vs open MRI unit issue at a later date but first I would like to see the opinions from the citizens of our county.
Regards - Dr. Ken Hutchins
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God Bless You Dr. Hutchins! I for one, a tax-payer, appreciate your efforts to provide information to the county commissioners where their staff, DMH Board and others were either unwilling, but most likely unable given the brain power of such folk! It was stated many years ago at the local coffe clatch that the county is unable to run a hospital and nothing has changed. I voted against the "new" hospital for that reason. It will continue to be a drain on the county finances and the only benefit is the DMH jobs program (employees of DMH) funded by the county and the "free" care by those who have no insurance. "*"
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I think we have enough guns locally to handle terror threats. Ruining a local asset like the old DMH is bad judgement and will cost addiitional resources to fix--providing the blog statements are true. As far as the quality of police officers and sheriffs deputies; yes there a some great individuals in the law enforcement community, but there are also some bad apples, both currently and in the past. What you great police officers and sheriffs deputies need to understand is that you are judged by the worst police officers and sheriffs deputies, not the best. And yes that is not fair. The other bad thing in our community is the we can have the great police officers and sheriffs deputies doing their job, only to have others in the judiciary drop cases, and other corrupt cronyism activities. Everybody has a "buddy" in the courthouse and this promotes a lawless community!
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Either the powers-to-be have never had a "closed" MRI or they have little concern for those who have had a "closed" MRI and felt that it was an extremely bad experience. For most patients who are aware of the claustrophobic nature of a "closed" MRI, DMH has just lost those future patients. For those potential DMH patients who will be subjected to a closed MRI, it does not mean that these will be repeat customers. Bill Byrnes is a great person and is a fine CPA, but his opinion and recommendation on this may just be penny wise and pound foolish. The very nature of DMH keeping up with technology will create debt for DMH and the renovations for an "open" MRI would be the cost of doing business. A lot of construction related unemployed folks in our county would benefit as well. Since we already have a county jobs program with DMH employees, why not create a few more? Everyone involved in the decision of closed vs. open should have given the debate a little more time and made a better decision. Taylor countians already go in mass to other medical service providers in Tallahassee, Gainesville, Jacksonville and Valdosta....thanks potentates for now sending additional folks out of town to get stress-free MRI's, the other medical providers really appreciate the business.
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I have had a closed MRI and I would never have another closed MRI. I have told my doctor that I would only agree to an open MRI in the future. I have never had problems with a confined space, but when I opened my eyes during my last MRI I became very uncomfortable and had an bad panic attack. I now wonder why any doctor would put their patient through such a potentially unpleasant event. My doctor has told me that if he orders an additional MRI, it woul be with an "open" MRI. Bad choice DMH, DMH Board and county commissioners. I would be your perfect customer; good insurance, ability to pay co-pays and non-covered fees and a chronic medical condition that I will have the rest of my life. I guess I will continue to go to Tallahassee. I wish I could stay home for healthcare since as a taxpayer I have already been fleeced many times by the DMH money pit! Like most Taylor County taxpayers, I continue to pay/supplement at times for a hospital that I cannot use, does not serve any purpose for my healthcare and apparently is not operated with a plan to get me or any other new customers. Just what customer does DMH hope to get, more of the same. The uninsured? The indigent? Medicare-medicaid patients? The local folks who see fit not to pay any other of their creditors? Get a business plan that is based in reality DMH! Don't wait for Obamacare to bail you out....yea that is the ticket!
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Several years back I ruptured a disc in my lower neck and I tried to have a MRI in one of the so called short bore machines in Tallahassee. I could not handle the tube confinement and pushed the panic button. A doctor gave me a intravenous sedative to put me in LaLa land so I could have the exam. I got sick and again pushed the panic button and I decided no more of this for me. I was sick for the rest of the day. My family doctor then sent me to an open MRI and I had no problem with that exam at all. The surgeon said the films were of excellent quality and the surgery outcome was also good thereafter. I know of many people here in Taylor County that have the same feelings as I do when it comes to a closed MRI machine. They have tried it or won't try it. I want to support my hospital but if my hospital doesn't care as to whats in the best interest of patients then I'll continue to take my business elsewhere. They should have considered a open MRI especially when they just spent over a million dollars of free tax money that they didn't earn as other hospitals do. I wonder just how many hospital board members and county commissioners would be willing to stick their arm out for a intravenous sedative chancing a deadly side effect and not knowing if they would still be here for their next board meeting. Please raise your hands.
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Well stated. I too have had a closed MRI and will not have another. Many years ago when the DMH doctors were fighting in the halls of the old DMH and stabbing each other with pencils it was noted that the board of county commissioners were unprepared to manage and run a hospital....well here twenty some odd years later the same is true. Shame on you commissioners and shame on you DMH board members who just do not seem able to make sound decisions. I feel that either both groups need to start managing the hospital with sound business practices or close it, sell it or let a group who can manage the hospital keep it on track. The tax-payers of the county can no longer afford to pour tax dollars in this experiment that must be an ego booster for a few. I wonder why the tea-bag committee does not take this issue on, more of a local level Obamacare fiasco! Duh!
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As a former nurse at DMH I would like to comment on the open vs closed MRI issue. I am now working at a large hosptial in Ohio but I still keep up to date on the goings on in Perry as I lived there for over twenty years. The hospital where I now work recently installed a new open MRI and the volumm
of MRI studies has increased 60% or better. With the previous close unit an appointment could be had almost at any given time but now with the open unit waiting time is generally two days or more. Previously with the closed type MRI patients and doctors chose to use a open MRI in a nearby town and this not only effected our revenue but our closed unit frequently sat idle as did also the technician. Our doctors are more than pleased with the quality of the studies and when patients are referred to nearby Cleveland to specilists we get no complaints on the study quality, no retakes. Doctors Memorial should have seriously considered a new open style MRI as study quality is exellent in the newer units. Apparently no concern was given to revenue loss which is a continuing problem at Doctors Memorial. The county commission should not have shelled out over a million dolars in tax payers money for a closed unit without first looking seriously at the newer open MRI's. Doctors Memorial continues to make poor decisions and this I believe was a classic. Patients and doctors will continue to use the open MRI's elsewhere thus imposing revenue loss on the local hospital. Where is the common sense and when do these bad decisions cease. How much longer must the tax payers prop up Doctors Memorial. Believe me, they will be back for more money soon and the county commission will again blindly dip in the well. Taylor County residents deserve prudent decisions, maybe someday!
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You are so right! As a tax-payer I appreciate your thoughts! I only wish we had a county commissioner adn DMH board members who had "common sense". We will have an opportunity to replace some of the folks next election!
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I opened my Tallahassee Demcrat this morning and saw the insert, TMH Your Hospital for Life 2009 Annual Report. I read the report and wondered, given the tax-payer supported DMH, why has DMH never issued such a report to the community? Have the DMH Board of Directors ever issues such a report? Maybe to the BOCC, but I have never seem such a report. I would not expect such a slick report from DMH, but some type of report to the tax-payers who keep DMH open with infusions of tax-payer funds. There was a success story high-lighted in the report, Weems Memorial Hospital (Apalachicola-Franklin County) Signs Management Support Agreement with TMH. Apparently, this county-owned hospital executed an agreement for Tallahassee Memorial to provide management support under an agreement reached by the TMH Board and the Weems Hospital Board along with the Franklin County Commission. The report states that under the agreement Weems will reduce the costs of its supplies and services through TMH sponsored purchasing cooperatives. TMH quality improvement staff apparently will also be available to provide patient car and quality enhancement activities. Um....I wonder if the Franklin County Commission figured out that it takes more to run a hospital than a few local potentates and charlatans. This is the type of agreement DMH needs to develop with some other institution. We certainly appear to lack leadership and management expertise at DMH. Such an agreement may help the DMH Board and Taylor County Commission make better decisions and investments in the future of DMH and our community. I am all for this type of approach than the money pit approach that has been exercised since the constructiion of the new DMH facility. Give us an annual report DMH and county commissioners, with the investment of tax-payer funds we should have such a report in hand to evaluate our investment!
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The structure of the facility has problems. Ask about the elevator shift cracks and foundation separation. Talk about a multi million dollar white elephant built over an unofficial dump site. Who made money on the deal? No one is asking the hard questions and no one has answers to the hard questions. Once again, the things Taylor County citizens don’t know fills volumes.
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Possible human blood contaminated food being served where? Which café is closed?
What the locals don’t know fills volumes.
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Always in the dark. How does this happen?
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I hate that tax-payer dollars are being used to prop-up this fiaco, but other than that I could care less about this facility, never used it, never will. It will ultimately run it's course, and people will continue to go out of town for medical care, medical care worth paying for, all that is left is patients who cannot afford to pay, people who use the ER for primary care and old timers who have medicare. Yes we have quite the medical facility to be proud of.....I would hope that the "tea-baggers" would take up this waste of tax-dollars as well.
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I also do not use DMH and I am opposed to any tax dollars funding this hospital. We have a lot of needs in our county and we should stop funding DMH and take care of other priorities such as law enforcement and road repair.
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Ditto for me, reinvest any money earmarked for DMH on county recreation programs for youth and preventative programs for youth...other than Boys and Girls Club, like 4-H.
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I don't know when you went, but I had one done 2 weeks ago, on my legs, checking a circulation problem. The results were in color, I could see where the narrowing of the arteries occurred, and it was much much more comfortable than a closed MRI, which I had done last year in Tallahassee. If you don't appreciate Premier's equipment and want to use DMH's MRI I'm almost sure your Dr. would let you, they seem to be very accommodating, to me.
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