Doctors Memorial Hospital - Part 5
A new modern facility with a history of management and monetary problems. What solutions are available for the betterment of health care in Taylor County? Each week I will post a specific question or comment for discussion concerning our hospital. I ask that your comments be civil and directed to the specific issue raised for that week. Should you have any questions that you feel should also be addressed beyond those presented forward e-mail them to me and they will be considered for future postings. DMH employees are welcome to participate with anonymity. The future of our hospital should be taken seriously by all of us and your input is valuable.
Part 5 - The DMH Board of Directors have again changed directions on management of our hospital. Initially back in March of this year, they showed interest in a TMH management agreement and met with the folks from TMH who offered to provide interim management until a long term agreement could be consummated. The DMH Board subsequently backed off and decided to go it alone by hiring their own CEO and thereafter interviewed several applicants for the position eventually narrowing it down to two. TMH subsequently offered to assist by undertaking final evaluation of DMH's perspective applicants and DMH agreed. At this time an agreement was entered into for TMH to provide interim management pending final evaluation and selection of DMH's new CEO. Now it appears that DMH has reversed directions again and is once again considering a long term management agreement with TMH wherein TMH will provide the CEO and other management staff. If this is the final direction that the DMH Board elects to pursue and I say "if" as they may change their mind once again, then the following questions are put forth. Give your opinion as this is your hospital and it's future affects your health and possibly your life.
Questions:
Part 5 - The DMH Board of Directors have again changed directions on management of our hospital. Initially back in March of this year, they showed interest in a TMH management agreement and met with the folks from TMH who offered to provide interim management until a long term agreement could be consummated. The DMH Board subsequently backed off and decided to go it alone by hiring their own CEO and thereafter interviewed several applicants for the position eventually narrowing it down to two. TMH subsequently offered to assist by undertaking final evaluation of DMH's perspective applicants and DMH agreed. At this time an agreement was entered into for TMH to provide interim management pending final evaluation and selection of DMH's new CEO. Now it appears that DMH has reversed directions again and is once again considering a long term management agreement with TMH wherein TMH will provide the CEO and other management staff. If this is the final direction that the DMH Board elects to pursue and I say "if" as they may change their mind once again, then the following questions are put forth. Give your opinion as this is your hospital and it's future affects your health and possibly your life.
Questions:
While it is understandable that the DMH Board Attorney will advise the Board appropriately, should not the County Attorney be involved with the County Commissioners subsequently giving their seal of approval also on this long term contract?
We have relied entirely on the DMH Board of Directors in years past and the problems have worsened. Our financial interest has also increased substantially in the past year and any decision made must be fundamentally sound for we can no longer afford to prop up poor management. Should the TMH proposal be posted on the County website whereas we the people have ample opportunity to review it and present questions and/or suggestions not only to the DMH Board but also the County Commission?
We have relied entirely on the DMH Board of Directors in years past and the problems have worsened. Our financial interest has also increased substantially in the past year and any decision made must be fundamentally sound for we can no longer afford to prop up poor management. Should the TMH proposal be posted on the County website whereas we the people have ample opportunity to review it and present questions and/or suggestions not only to the DMH Board but also the County Commission?
Yes, why should just one attorney be able to build up hours and make money! LOL!
Ye, put the whole document(s) in the sunshine. Pat and present DMH Board Members have demonstrated their inability to manage the facilities and live up to their fiduciary responsibility. End this 'ole boys club of potentates and charlatans and give the citizens the opportunity to address questions to and about their own hospital. DMH does not belong to the DMH Board, BOCC, or any individuals....it belongs to the tax-payers.
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Sunshine is needed. An outside audit by the state of FL should be completed for the last 5-10 years. TMH may want to back out.
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Blog moderator comment in 2008:
BlogModerator wrote:
I disagree that the county is subsidizing a service for the poor since DMH has implemented a policy of pay before service in the ER unless it is a proven emergency. The county is subsidizing a poorly run hospital in a community that is not large enough, or economically able to support it. I bet if the feds came in like they did at Nature Coast, we would all probably be shocked at what they are hiding and probably angry at the lack of accountability.
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So, when are the feds coming in? What are they hiding? Yes Yes. DMH belongs to the tax payers. Where did all the money go? Who will be held accountable?
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Did the county attorney and commission approve the TMH proposal as suggested by the moderator? What is going on at DMH?
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Answer to Michael - As usual publically the county commission nor the county attorney approved the agreement between DMH and TMH prior to execution by the DMH Board. If approval was given under the radar then an obvious violation of the Sunshine Law is evident. How can five commissioners sit on their buff and not be concerned as to the investment in DMH and the public concern that we the people have concerning this matter. What next and when will the commission show responsibility ????
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The DMH Board does not have to get approval from the BOCC or their Attorney
the Hospital is a independent Corporation. But I was told the DMH 's Board / their lawyer did show the agreement to the Commissioners thru the County Administrator. This agreement is good for us employees.
Please stop cutting it down. We need our jobs. TMH has the resources and money to keep us afloat. WE NOW HAVE A FULL TIME ceo WHO IS THEIR EVERY DAY... Doctors are coming and people are now using the hospital we had over 25 admits last week. It has been a long time since that many people has been admitted . So please help us do not hurt us..... Tell the good thing not just the BAD....
Thanks for letting me write.
96153
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You know now you are hearing from the employees. Maybe all you critical hypocrits(speeling sorry) will shut up and stop complaining. If you would take your heads out of your asses maybe you would do some research and see what would happen if we did not have a hospital. Just on the poverty care are we saving millions a year, I would rather pay a little every so often than alot each year. Someone from the financial department should just lay it out on here for everyone to read. Your lives must be miseriable to just complain all the time. I bet you all live in total despair all the time. Maybe a new leaf for the new year, say nice things and people will be nice to you. But maybe that is just to hard for you all to do, your lives must be pathetic.
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Since DMH is an independent corporation, STOP going to the BOCC to get funds to bail them out of a financial disaster. You can't have it both ways. Either you are INDEPENDENT or you need to be under the laws of SUNSHINE. What do you think?
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The hospital needs to do something, some kind of campaign to fix its public image. I've been fortunate to never have needed their services, but from what I've heard...you don't want to end up in there. No disrespect intended to the workers...just something marketing/CEO needs to address to attract more business. Does the hospital have a website?
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The DMH has a contract with the county. So everything must be done under the sunshine laws. What are the details of the TMH agreement. Taxpayers have a right to this information. There must be something to hide. This is worse than nature coast.
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There is nothing to hide attend the meetings everything is read aloud. Everything is discussed , the newspaperis there. Just because you did not attend the meetings does that mean there is something hidden. Everything is a public record. We as employees are not afraid why are you so negative??
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I just happen to agree with what the Blog moderator wrote: "I bet if the feds came in like they did at Nature Coast, we would all probably be shocked at what they are hiding and probably angry at the lack of accountability."
Not negative. Just face the facts. Was, and is, everything being handled properly at DMH. It might be worse than nature coast.
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So, Day to Day "Knowledge", any bets on the outcome of a state or fed audit? THe tax payers should know exactly where all their money went? Yes Yes, the Blog Moderator and concerned citizen wants it all in the sunshine. Anyone else?
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It is all a house of cards being built by a few potentates and charlatans. The only way to see who is really benefiting is to follow the money trail. Other than those benefiting by this county tax-payer supported jobs program....there lies the fat cats.
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It is posted at the hospital and on the hospital website there is going to be a Hospital Board Meeting at the hospital on Jan 26 2010 at 6:00 PM.
It is open to all of us employees and the public. Why don't everyone who has questions be there and ask the Board the question of where the County money is being spent on. They have shown us and the Board of County Commissioners ( at the last meeting ) where the money is and how it is being spent... We need our jobs, the rumors are there are going to be some jobs cut, but the Board says NO and it is making a small profit.. keeping everyone working, so.
Please stop stirring the pot, SO help us.
We have had more patients in the last two months , than in the previous three months. So we must be doing something right.. When you have No extra Money there is No money to hide. We have a good board of men who are trying.
A diversified board with a lot of business experience and Hospital management help from TMH . Doctors from TMH are coming to DMH with a new clinic, TOC will be coming back to DMH, a Urologist, and Cardiac doctors are coming to the DMH clinic at the hospital from TMH. A lot of good things are happening slowly. We are changing our attitudes on the floor and in the offices attitudes are changes. You have to be here every day to see our turtles move but we are moving.
Please stop the Bashing and present positive things and attitudes.. We need our 5% pay back and want our 6 years of no raises to come back too.
Help us do not Hurt us.
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Why do you have no money when millions in taxes were given? Where is the blog moderator in all this mess? Bringing the feds in was a bm idea. Why did you get no raises in 6 years while physicians and board members got a lot of stuff in the past? How much is now TMH getting? Until you answer these questions, DMH workers get nothing back. You asked for help. here it is.
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What makes u think they are not already here.
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We have had no raises because we had no money in that last 6 years.
The old Board and old CFO & CEO broke us, spent all our money on high paying administration and off shore insurance companies ( bogus) and no up keep of equipment, allowed to many cousins and son's in laws to be hired over 200 employees. Then once we were broke and going to close ,they all left off the board (and CEO & CFO quit).
Then in Sept 2008 the new board was appointed ( by the way the Board gets no pay or perks.. ) and the County Commission (THEN) gave the money to keep the hospital open and buy equipment ONLY , not salaries or raises. Mr. Byrne's was CFO (and running the hospital really) and the new board bought new equipment and started paying off the past due debts with the money the new equipment ( CT) Mamo, MRI coming ) and the 10% cut in pay ( then resented back to a 5% cut in pay) adjusted the books to see a way how we could get out of debt. Then after holding the hospital above water for 1 1/2 years TMH partnered up with DMH for management services only .
AS I heard at the board meeting, The new CEO gets paid by DMH,for his salary he has to live in Perry) once there is enough money he will hire a Chief of Nursing to help build revenue and recruit new Doctors and make new Clinics then once we have money to manage get a CFO. Then we the employees can get our 5% back and start getting raises like we normally did .The past is gone. I have to look forward and try to keep the hospital open , I need my job, my family needs my job & income ..
Now there is the help.. keeping our jobs
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It is amazing that the people here believe things will change. Nothing any of you post here will save the circling hospital. It would be great if the government would just cut off all funding to our county and let the powerful people run the show. It would be nice to have control of our money and not help the poor.
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Is it true the full time EMS director is also a full time Deputy?
How can the County pay for 24 hour on call Deputy and the Hospital Pay for a 24 Hour on call EMS Director?
Here we go again the Board of Directors letting the CEO spend the money owed the employees (in yearly raises and hourly raises). To some department head who is a friend, of a friend. They Fired teh last EMS director because they wanted this New( old 3 time ) person to return. WHAT are they doing out there at the hospital. Does the Sheriff know or even care? How can one person work 2-24 hour jobs and be efficent , someone is going to be hurt or get hurt or worse... Everybody must call the board members , adn county commissioners NOW.
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How's the new CEO doing?
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Read the last entry and it is called asked and answered!
I am so sorry to all I wrote to about
standing behind the Hospital.
We still have not got our 5% back.
They are keeping old cronies and hiring back and promoting the same people who got us in the mess we were in to start with. Board answers to Tallahassee now.
TMH runs the hospital, DMH Board does nothing except look for ways to cut our hours and pay. No MRI yet,, was suppose to be in December it maybe (will be) May or June. Mr. Byrnes who knew what was happening on a day to day basis is gone.
We don't even know who is in charge of what now . Everybody walks on eggs shells around here. I am so ashamed I came on here and defended the New Board and Tallahassee Deal. I will never write on here again.
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Day to day knowledge please do not feel that your support of DMH and the workers has gone unheard or acknowledged. But you must understand that our emergency planning for SERGs and LEPCs will not allow us to operate as usual with the high risk exposure in this county without a functioning hospital and emergency response EMS (emergency management system). Why do you think RW the former manager made crop circles by quit and rehired how many times? Its time for the people of Taylor County to get real and vote’em out and send them home.
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The shame of it all is TMH won't get this hopsital where it needs to be. They have no skin in the game and can use it to thei own benefit and send business to Tallahassee, not what the residents need. Cutting employee salaries by 10% was a huge mistake, I guess it turned out to be 5%. Getting the employees to buy into the plan to make the hospital profitable and turning that 5% cut into a bonus would get them to buy into the fact that only they can move the organization forward. The front line employees in the trenches can stop the bleeding, identify the waste, suggest cost saving measures evident on the frontline, and help improve the hospitals image. Leave the recruiting of physicians to the senior leaders, however you must have new equipment to draw them there. Develop pillars of excellence that the entire organization will follow: customer, community, culture, and quality, finance and develop pay raises/bonuses and increases around this and a pay-for-performance evaluation process. The board needs to have an open mind and seek out a CEO that can have vision and a plan. I had that and detailed it to Joe, Bill, and John but then memmbership in the board changed when Joe left as head of the board. Joe saw the vision I had and I think he knew it was the right direction. frustration with other board members and the commission made him leave in disgust.
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call in the feds like the bm said. then everyone will know. then everyone will vote'em out.
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DMH, the county tax-payer funded jobs program, is a fiasco plain and simple. Always has been and always will be. The county (BOCC) cannot adequately run a hospital, there are not enough paying customers, not enough customers with insurance and most customers go for healthcare all points North and East. Many citizens did not vote for the new hospital, myself included, because we new what a boondoggle the "new" hospital would be and that it would be a drain on county resources, a drain the county could never afford. Now the BOCC has let the old DMH deteriate to the point that it cannot be used. This whole issue shows what lack of leadership we have in our community. And that is the truely sad part of this whole fiasco!!!!!
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I agree with Anonymous, did you see the chamber letter and the newspaper coverage of those supposed to be leaders raising funds to help the people of Haiti, and when they do things to help the less fortinate in the community, don't you just hate that I bet they just want attention.
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The board was given a plan a couple of CEOs ago. Scott was voted out and the charlatans and potentates let the corruption continue. i agree with bm and everyone should know. look into it.
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The local rag won't cover the past corruption at the hospital. Actually don't cover any Taylor county corruption at all. Can someone call the TV folks to investigate. Get some real news.
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Everyone has a "Buddy" in the courthouse. When you have 25 years of corruption in the judiciary of the county it all becomes the norm. Get out of a DUI, get out of a ticket, let my son off of a felony.....coruption at DMH, school district, ect...it is a natural progression of a lawless county. Everyone wants their get-out-of-jail free card and most get just that. It is a shame what passes for leadership in our community!
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Taylor County has a lot of troubles and problems, but the problem is not the people. The good folks of Taylor County are hard working, family loving, God loving and fearing, and salt of the earth. I for one will not tolerate the disrespect and abuse of their good names, loving hearts and hard working hands by anyone. So don’t ask, don’t try, and don’t start.
Now when it comes to the county leadership (followers are not leaders) I agree with the rest of the bloggers on here. The quality of leadership in Taylor County is poor to dismal.
But I don’t dwell on this because this too shall pass.
What I want to say is this.
Have you ever been sick, feeling sick to death, weak and ill, scared and in need of care and found yourself at DMH where the “Taylor County real folks” work? I have. I marvel at the experience of being in a place where you feel like you are in a time warp, its like you are really not in “lousy old Taylor County” because everyone is doing every thing possible to help you, and it doesn’t matter who you are or what other people think of you for one reason these Taylor County people/workers (not contract healthcare providers/also known as outsiders) care about you. It is your hand they hold and your intuition tells you these people are real and sincere. These home grown nurses, lab, x-ray, equipment monitoring technicians, and general personnel care about the people of Taylor County and it shows in all their actions and deeds. I commend them all. They display publicly the best values of our community. Thank You.
But that is not to say… that it isn’t sad to watch these caring and hard working hands being shackled to poor management and low quality care policies which make up the continuing crop circle performance of county leadership. The same leadership which repeatedly offers a temporary fix to a long list of permanent problems.
These good folks are (Taylor County’s finest) lovers, givers, care takers of Taylor County people and they are not the problem. They are the fix, the solution, the correct action; following their (ordinary Taylor County folks) leadership will address long standing problems without being a “band-aid” (temporary fix) station solution.
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Great workers and poor leadership seems to be the problem
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It is now February 18th and all is well at DMH. I am an employee there and I feel encouraged for the first time in a long time. The new CEO has got the strategic plan moving again, which is to hire more physicians, provide new services and restore some of the services that have gone by the wayside for lack of leadership. Thanks to all in the community for their loyalty to DMH. We are blessed to have such a great place to work as well as to have a place to take our families to when necessary. Thank you DMH Board for your never ending concern for the medical services in Taylor County and for all the unpaid hours you have contributed.
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Get real; the sugar coat was about more than I can bear. Doctors for DMH the never-ending story, saga, the longest two -step on record, and longest playing old tune in history. No doubt every body is tire. and bored. Now let me see, how many times we have heard that? May I humbly suggest it will not work, it has not worked and people are saying it again, as if it might work and people are laughing, Pretend, Florida? That puts the hoot in Hooterville.
There is a saying we have down here in Pretend, Florida that goes like this “Lost as a Cooter in the wire grass” translated for those without knowledge of everyday speech/common expression this means really lost. Desperately lost because you can not see ahead, you can not see behind, because you have really short legs and the grass is really tall. Ya got problems. Which bring me to the expression for how bad the problem you have really is “now you have really walked off into it” meaning the wire grass/swamp. And that is why we laugh and say “GOOD LUCK with that”.
The County’s culture/acceptance of unethical behaviors, disrespect of the citizens and care givers alike and poor customer service has run this ship aground so many times. Another temporary fix for a permanent problem? So let me say it again, LOST.
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The previous board and employed physicians owe the county and taxpayers a bundle. Who is collecting?
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We need to move the new CEO into a nicer local house. I hear the former CEOs house is in foreclosure after we ran him out of town. Could be a good deal now. Careful though. It was built by Michael.
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Isn't Michael on the DMH Board of Directors?
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If that is true, wouldn't it be a conflict of interest? His brother is a hospital employee. Of, couse that never stopped the previous folks running the hospital. Just look at what they got away with.
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NO Michael is not on the Hospital Board. The City Council and Michaels father tried VERY HARD to get him to take the position but , due to the hassle it may cause himself, the Council and his brother he decided to stay on the Planning and Zoning Board .
The City Council then appointed Albert Johnson to that position . Please get your facts straight.
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In keeping with "facts", are you saying that Mike Lynn, son of Robert Lynn is the brother of Mike Lynn of the City of Perry Planning and Zoning Board and PT at DMH? If so, I think you are wrong.
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"No" The correct facts are Michael Lynn son of Robert Lynn is the "Mike" Lynn on the Planning and Zoning Board, and doing a good job too.
There is a Mike Lynn who works at the hospital as the Physical Theropyist (PT)a different person all together...
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I did write "if that is true". It remains true that conflicts of interest were never addressed by the previous folks running the hospital. Otherwuse, there would be no Premier Medical and Hampton Inn. Just ask the local pharmacist that fills the drug diverted prescriptions meant for our children. Maybe those aren't conflicts, just good TC business deals. What we need is another tax to add an addition to the white elephant and have 4 helicopters parked outside. Just good TC business.
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I do agree with you on the last board having made huge mistakes. "They even had a Optometrist on that board too ??" ! That the old CEO & old Chairman of the Board at that time and the ones to follow allowed a lot of bad bad business decisions.
This new CEO & Board has had a couple of hick ups that I see. The EMS still using helicopters instead of Ambulances . The new EMS Director( and Sheriff's Deputy) loves to fly in those beautiful machines. A ER Doctor told me the ER Accident visits are in half , since the former / now new again EMS director is back at the helm, they fly the patient straight from the scene of the accident to THM or Shands. Only to have their spouse,family or the patient drive themselves home from Tallahassee or Gainesville.
The EMS Director is good friends with the helicopter company (he used to work for them).
I asked one of the Managers at the hospital what the Board was doing about it? He told me the Management of the Hospital is under the direction of TMH, The DMH Board has NO say so about management at all. Just simple day to day policy ( where to smoke, were to house a department) nothing big, nothing on who is hired or fired as before, nothing on how much the new CEO pays anyone or gives raises to or new appointments too.
No say so on the promotion of department heads or managers . This new Board are just figure heads.
Mr Byrnes is gone and the new CEO is also the CFO ( $$ person too) . So who is minding the money vault? No sense of checks and balances. The Board asks for something to be done and Tallahassee says NO.( Oh yea the CEO of TMH Mark O'Bryan is Jack Brown's close friend ) now go figure, who is running the hospital really ??
A bar owner told me he had a check bounce on the hospital last week.
Where is the 2.2 Million Dollars less 60 cents( see Perry Paper last week) the tax payers gave the Hospital ?
The employees just got part of their 10% money cut from September 2009 back , a 3% but the CEO gave it to everyone, across the board ( management too), so the ones who never lost any money ( managers and new people hired) got a 3% raise.. WHY??? Then to top things off the new CEO cut their hours so you go figure how they are treated out there.
So here again we have a DMH Board which is helpless. The CEO tells the employees not to talk to a Board member at any time on or off the clock.. TMH is keeping all management a secret. But still wants teh BOCC to send more money. TMH is not under teh sunshine, but DMH is , so TMH does not tell DMH Board anything on what is going on. THM deal was bad bad false shell game.
The county will have to pour MORE money into the hospital to keep it afloat.
But all in all we must have a hospital... There is no way around it.
In order to keep Buckeye and MEI here or attract new industry one day.. We are da--ed if we Do; and da--ed if we don't!!
"Those are the straight facts".
Straight from the managers at the hospital
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Some of this sounds worrisome, but some of it is how a board is supposed to work.
Boards (hospital, school, county, whatever) aren't supposed to interfere with the operating of their entity. Their role generally is to set high-level policy and strategy, to direct the finances (again, from a high level--like raising capital and approving budgets), and to hire the CEO (although Florida is one of just five states that allow counties to elect rather than hire superintendents).
It's the CEO--county manager, hospital administrator, superintendent, etc.--that's responsible for managing the operations of the organization.
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How can one man have 2 full times jobs..How can he be Director over EMS and also be a full time Deputy.
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He is allowed to by the Sheriff, and the CEO and the board of the hospital. He is the hospitals and the County sherriff, and BOCC "Golden Boy"! also know his wife is a high paid nurse too. The county is paying three salaries in that one household ( County records say over 150 thousand dollars for all three positions). How many other families would they do that for kind of money,? Recirds show, County money funds the EMS (25,000 per month), County funds the Hospital (2.2 million less .60 cents) County funds the Sheriff dept and his deputies several millions too, now you go figure where the money is going and to who???.. When the BOCC say they are not doling out favors, you quote thim this blog. There are people out of work, qualified DOC workers wanting to be Deputies but the Sheriff says he has no vacancies???? How can one person work two 40 hour a week jobs and be effective. Only with the favor or the approval of hospital,board and county funds...
That type of management is why the hospital is asking for more money go to the the next BOCC meeting, wanting more equipment for $120,000.00 for a new echo machine,(but has no Doctor to read it) when the MRI machine they bought last year is not here yet. It can't be approved by the state regulators. The location at the hospital is not approvable or up to code...That money is lost and NO MRI has been or can be delivered.
Wake up Taylor County The Commissioners we have are raping us for hospital money again!!!! and will again and again!!!!!! Parker is 75 and Wiggins and the others are doing what ever Jack Brown tells them to do. we are in sad shape here. Someone has to stand up to these people. I hope Feagle gets elected and Wiggins is replaced with a accountant who can read a balance sheet, to tell the Sherif, and Hospital to stop wasting our money...
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It's certainly disturbing that one person appears to be double-dipping.
However, it appears that the EMS job falls under DMH and the deputy job falls under TCSO. Jack Brown and the county commissioners don't have the authority to tell DMH or TCSO how to run their show, as far as I know.
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This a good debatable subject. Which I calmly disagree with you on (Sir or Ms.). If the BOCC and the Sheriff's dept is using my tax dollars to fund there departments, we do have a right as a citizen to ask question who, what, when, where, how and WHY they are spending our tax dollars the way they are? It is not only our right it is our obligation and duty as tax payers to question them. And they as elected officials to answer us.
If not we give them an open check book ( as you suggest without oversight) to give our money away and not have them questioned how it is being spent, to who or on what? If there is no checks and balances and no reports given, ( in the paper or on their websites) the citizens are just at the mercy of those officers and officials.
The City once posted the salaries of each department heads and how there money was being spent. So did the BOCC and the School Board. They all stopped that when the city and county managers and school superintendent ,felt the citizens did not need to know anything. (aka Brown / Brown & Dyal Legislation).
I disagree with this action. If a person ( EMS, Deputy, City employee, teacher ( a lot of them with too many supplements by the way) are double dipping from the county funds.
The School Board, City Council, the BOCC, DMH Board and the Sheriff's office have a obligation to stop it, and or should report it to their bosses " The Citizens of Taylor County" !!!!!!
Case in point: The Tax Collectors office does not allow this, the Property Appraisers office does not allow this, The Clerk of the Court shore nuff does not allow this,
The supervisor of elections does not allow this. The Judges Office does not allow this.
Then why should should the BOCC, DMH and The Sheriff allow this either, they are funded by our County Tax Dollars as the other courthouse offices are and they are good stewards of our tax dollars ??
We have to hold everyone accountable, just as we do in our own households.
It is real money, which we could put another 2 or 3 person who is out of a job to work.
Look at the paper unemployment is at 12.8% and we are letting people double dip to the tune of over 125,000.00 that is more than the Constitutional officers we elect (92,500.00 each) make, and the circuit judge at 112,000.00 and he has a law degree and elected county wide . Even more than the sheriff he works for. their salaries are set by the legislature.
Most of all even more than the county manager ( who is over paid at 115,000.00)
This EMS/ Deputy and wife nurse is cleaning out our county sheriff's budget and the hospital budget and No one cares.?? WHY WHY???
Call your County Commissioner, the Hospital CEO, Hospital Board member and the Sheriff and stop this madness and ask them to advertise and hire 2 or 3 people who are out of a job so you are not dependent on one or two person to run the whole show.
Thanks
The DisAgreeing Citizen
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You absolutely have that right, and I encourage you to practice it.
My point is just that the county commissioners and the county administrator can't control what TCSO does. The sheriff controls TCSO, and since he's an elected official he answers to the voters rather than the county.
DMH is a little trickier. I'm honestly not sure how its governance works in that regard. It does receive financial assistance from the county, but I'm not sure how much say the BOCC has in its operation.
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Don't like cops? The next time you need help, call a crack head!
If you want to know the salaries people are earning, submit a public records request. Its public record. They just don't put it in the paper. Since I pay into medicare and social security every time I get paid, should I get to know what every recipient receives since I contribute?
If you want to know how public officials are spending your money, go to the meetings or their offices and ask them. That information is public record too!
Everyone complains about how much people are getting paid to provide services to residents, but who do you call when you need a cop or where do you go when you are sick and have NO health insurance? Then those folks better give you the service you believe you are entitled to have.
If you don't like how these offices are being run by the incumbent (those in office), VOTE THEM OUT! By the way, the offices you mention that DON'T waste tax dollars, take your blinders off, wake up, and smell the coffee. Again, ask for the current and past expenditures for the clerk's office, tax collectors office, etc.
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Rose, I have friends and family that are cops. I just don't want my cop working for EMS when I call for and need one. Maybe all this is worked out but where does his priority lie when disaster strikes? Hurricanes, tornado, Storm of the Century? Where would he report. Is the Sheriff's dept short one deputy or will EMS not have anyone directing it?
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This whole DMH thing, the county jobs program is......yawn....yawn....a very tired subject. It is a waste of tax-payer resources. DMH has become what the school district has always been, a last chance place for everyone's crony to get a job. Kudos to those great DMH employees, but darts to all of the duds! And the drunks at DMH!
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The DMH board has always been involved in operations. That's how all the money gets to the folks to run Premier, divert drugs and build hotels. The previous CEOs were run out of town when they tried to do the right thing - Run the hospital legally. TC taxpayers are owed a lot of money.
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Check and see if the EMS director is working at DMH or just getting paid. That's how he ran the scam last time. Or was it the time before?
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Tristan, how right you are, business as usual in trailer county. They all are "volunteering" for a reason and it mostly involves power and money. The only good thing is they eventually will die off!!
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Can they pay back all the stolen public money before they die off? Seems fair enough because none are doing any jail time for the crime.
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Good news:
http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/doctor's-memorial-hospital-6390842
DMH ranks higher than state and nation-wide averages for patient satisfaction.
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I just can't wait for someone to come up with a way to discredit to survey, you know if it's not a complaint then most of the bloggers are not happy, but then again they have miserable lives anyway, yay th DMH.
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Well the Perry Hampton Inn was voted the best in the world.......where is the connection. What was the sample size, what were the questions, who filled out the surveys? Inquiring minds want to know.
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The sample size wasn't given, but the questions can be viewed here:
http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/doctor's-memorial-hospital-6390842/patient-satisfaction
And our local Hampton Inn seems to have earned its top rating; I've talked to quite a few people who have stayed there, and all had nothing but good things to say.
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A point needs to be made that these customer service / satisfaction surveys are conducted and led by organizations; be it a rural hospital-urban hospital, motel-hotel, car dealership; I have always suspected that when you are agressive in getting the surveys, you can make the results look the way yoou want, statistics 101. I am sure the few people who have used DMH got good service, I would like to see the DMH good surveys vs. who has paid for DMH services compared. As far as Hampton Inn.......who knows. I know when I have gotten services or such from businesses in Tallahassee, they bother the stew out of you to fill out their satisfaction survey, it appears that all of these surveys are the new marketing tool for a lot of businesses. The fewtimes I have used DMH, old and new hospital, have been hit or miss in terms of satisfaction. Heck Hampton Inn has a good formula, good beds to sleep in and gives extensive training to those who get the fanchise.....with all that the corporate resources Hampton puts in to a hotel and its owners, it would be hard to fail or not have good surveys....even in trailer county.
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If DMH had the opportunity to massage the statistics, so do every other hospital in the nation--yet DMH still scored better than them, on average.
So that should count for something.
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These surveys are used for marketing and such, they do nothing to describe the quality of care, the cost vs. the quality, or the quality of the docs. I guess this survey is a feel good for DMH and the county jobs program I would rather DMH repay all of the money the tax-payers have put into this jobs program since the county now needs the money. DMH should thank the community for their tax-dollars.
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Can you say rural counties of economic concern? No over sight of funding from local state or federal govs. Duh damn it. Get real trailer. Laughing and laughing at the Taylor county Tallahassee combine. Ya’ll have computers do the research the legislature is in session handing out much crap. So dial that toll free number and tell them what’s up. You can start with Charlie and work your way down the food chain until you get to you at the bottom.
http://www.doctorsmemorial.com/default.htm
Doctors' Memorial Hospital is a 48-bed not-for-profit acute care facility, which has been serving the North Florida communities of Taylor, Madison, Dixie, and Lafayette counties since 1957. This site is designed with features to help you familiarize yourself with our organization. Our Physician Directory is searchable by specialty, and contains links to affiliated Physician Web Sites.
Does having more beds make a hospital better? Quality care has more to do with competence, commitment, and compassion. As your community hospital, we're committed to providing quality care, right here close to home. You're part of our community. At Doctors' Memorial Hospital, you're just like family to us, and we treat you that way.
http://www.doctorsmemorial.com/missions.html
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Yea, just like family that owes it's relatives money (tax payers). More like that drunk uncle at the family reunion. A majority of the citizens in Taylor do not use DMH for healthcare services.Typically in other Florida cities, community or county hospitals are for the indigent, poor and people of little means to defray the cost of healthcare (the cocunty pays for it-the tax payers). DMH is no different. Quality care? I am not sure, what really does or can DMH do vs. regional hospitals in Tallahassee, Gainesville and Jacksonville. I would rather take my chances at Shands, Mayo Clinic, TMH or CRMC. The last comment confirms what has been stated, these "surveys" are a marketing tool and part of an overaall marketing plan. 48-beds just doesn't shoutout 21st century, cutting edge medicine. Do the docs still fight in the halls? Be sure and hide all of the pencils!
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Get back to the facts on page 1. DMH owes TC a lot of tax money. The county will never see the money because it has been diverted to physicians to launder it to build the hotels and premier. The board, mayor and BOCC know this. Who is going to make they pay? Fly the helicopter in and maybe the double dipper can press some charges. LOL
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You are right, here in trailer county you can always follow the money. I did not vote for the new hospital for this reason. All of us folks who do not use DMH and pay taxes should get something for our money! The folks at the beach and Stienhatchee go to Gainesville and they pay a lot of taxes as well and get nothing from the DMH - county jobs program. Yes and none of these folks can afford the hel-ocopter rides. It may as well be a carnival ride. I wonder what business plan DMH follows, what business plan the carnival ride follows.
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A man I know just got a bill for the helicopter "ride" from Perry to Tally. A cool $18,000! Some ride.
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I brought up the fact I wasn't too cool to a helicopter ride if I was ever hurt...due to the cost and the decision if the ride was "really" necessary. I was surprised by how many people defended its use...even though it was said many times the patient was back in town before the copter got back...ok a little exaggeration here. But in real life it has to pay for it's self so these things will happen, people let their emotions at the moment take over and who is going to stop the ride??? So it looks for now its a necessary evil and more so if you get stuck with the bill...and I have a friend that is still paying his off from a ride he got a couple of years ago, one which a ambulance ride would have been enough in his opinion...
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The airport cost the citizens how much? How many lives have been saved at the airport?
What is the airport service to citizen? Please spare us intelligent conversations/comments from the silliest citizens on how to save a dollar.
As for those complaints about the helicopter ride have one industrial accident and see if it pays off. But that’s the question no one asks or answers. What are the high risk requirements for this county, bet you don’t know.
Ask the families of the citizens whose lives were saved as a result of fast action by EMS before antidotal comments are assumed answers to all questions. Duh
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Most people recognize that there are times when the chopper saves lives. But it also seems that most of us know at least one person who was put on there unnecessarily.
Those flights are very, very expensive. They should only take place when truly medically necessary. There could be motivation to use helicopter when it may not be absolutely necessary due to a desire to generate revenue, a desire to show the usefulness of it, or a fear of lawsuits (e.g., one that may occur if something bad happened to a patient was kept in DMH or transferred elsewhere by ambulance).
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I do not agree, if we have an industrial accident, let Buckeye pay the tab, why should tax-payers. The fact is that very few can pay for the copter ride and do not pay. Ditto for the airport. We have heard for years about the potential the airport would bring jobs, hog wash. An asset for a few! The copter is used as a carny ride, like lst night. Ditch the copter, heck Quincy now has one and they have less of a viable hospital than DNH if you can count that. Someone is making money off the copter rides....who.
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You had to get me started again.
The EMS Director ( wake up ) he is he one who makes the call. He used to work for the same helicopter company. The helicopter company who was going to leave Perry and move to Monticello. But when the new EMS director was hired , the company stayed the flights increased 2 fold , the EMS director got a 65,00.00 a year raise, and is a deputy sherriff $31,000.00 too , so he can call the helicopters on two different radios ( with authority I might add) and the Board is helpless as TMH runs the hospital and the sheriff allows Deputy T. to do it too . It is stealing from the citizens & patients again and again. Con artist, fraude. you look at it any way you want. Oh yes Buckeye has been here since 1954 we did not need helicopters until Jim McKnight came here in 1993. If an industrial accident happened back then (and they did )we had real real doctors to treat them and , transfered them after they were stable to Tallahassee or Gainseville by ambulance . We made it without EMS Director T. 3 times we should be making it without him again.
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I thought someone was going to press charges. Fraud and money laundering someone said before.
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Here in trailer county fraud and money changing is considered good business practice. How else could a bankrupt businessman put together a deal to build a business with a huge SBA loan and other resources leveraged by serving on a few local boards. It is aucking famazing what goes on here in trailer county.
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We just need to get our money back. How do you get the bankrupt businessman to pay up?
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A lot of folks have been asking that question for years about a few people in trailer county that have had their ship come in recent years after filing bankruptcy on everyone some time ago. More than that I often have wondered how a persosn who has filed bankruptcy personally and with a business can get such a huge loan and private investors to construck a new business.
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It is called cronyism, self promotion, using boards and committees for personal use, and fraud....
Comment edited/removed.
BM
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This comment that began, 'It is called cronyism, self promotion, using boards and committees for personal use, and fraud...' was edited/deleted. You, the poster, did not leave an email address for me to communicate with you regarding inappropriate comments, so I am notifying you here. This comment was very inappropriate and plain hateful. Those types of comments are unwelcome here. You are a regular poster and tend to push the envelope at times, but please think before you post and put yourself in the others shoes and see how you might feel if it was you being run through the mud like that.
Speaking to everyone, this entire site is moving once again in the wrong direction. This site is for adult discussions regarding issues and happenings in Taylor County to maybe give insight and offer suggestions to maybe make Taylor County better for all, as well as, call out inappropriate actions from public officials. We are rarely doing this anymore and I want it to be back to that. There are many intelligent and knowledgeable people that poster here regularly that have stopped for whatever reason. I can assume some of it is do to where TCT is know and how people are treating others in Taylor County. I would rather have just 1 intelligent, useful comment a day, or a week for that matter, than 30 hateful, bashing comments. This site going backwards is nobody's fault but mine and it will go back to how it was and move forward from there. I allowed instant posts to ease the flow of the site and people could comment and interact better and to free up my time because people were acting correctly, but this may be a mistake for the time being. I will see how the next couple of days go and I will make a decision on putting comments back to being moderated until I can weed out posters. I don't want to do this because it slows the site and is unfair to those acting accordingly.
I also want to personally apologize to anyone that may have been offended or hurt by hateful and attacking comments and I will work to make sure this stops. I want to thank those of you that help me and email me regarding these types of comments, as I can't catch everything. Again, I apologize and I thank all of you for participating. I will bring this site back to what it was.
BlogModerator
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One more thing, please stop referring to Taylor County as 'Trailer County'. It is silly.
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BM,
Two points to remove comments is your right as you have ownership of this site. To assume known identification as if a URL identifies all users at any one computer location is ridiculous/paranoid or possibly invasion of privacy big brother. Also to censor the term “trailer county” and deem the term silly does what and says who? How many people have used this term and are you folding to the power brokers/big players to promote your site? Good luck with that. My Momma told me to have a friend you must be a friend. Telling others what to say and do does not empower others, although I do understand abusive language is unacceptable. Someone here (url) said they would not be back and now this makes two of us. Adults do not need censorship spoiled brats/children and oppressed persons find censorship an acceptable practice. Saying what we think is the American way and it is known as freedom of speech. I say silly beats the hell out of stupid any day. But that’s just my opinion and going forward I will keep it to myself. Thank you and Have a nice Day.
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I normally don't feel the need to defend myself because most of the time people who come here and attack me for what I say or what I want or don't want on here, don't know me and have not been here from the beginning. Case in point, you insinuating that I am folding to anyone to promote this site. You couldn't be farther from the truth and considering what I have allowed and what I have said over the past two years, shows your ignorance regarding TCT. I could care less what anyone thinks, regardless of their position or assets. Read the rules I have posted, which will be updated soon, I don't allow personal attacks on any individual. TCT is here for the reasons I have stated many times and I will not repeat; it is not here for anyone's personal issues with someone else. It is not here to just attack someone because of ones personal issues...period. You don't like that, then please don't come back, because you don't belong here.
As far as not knowing who someone is, I have been doing this for quite some time and I can recognize a person's writing style regardless of what computer or name they use. You are so right, adults don't need censorship, but spoiled, childish people that can't follow the rules and take offense to a set of rules, need chastising. You see, that is the problem with our children and many adults, they think they are above rules and don't like being told they are doing something wrong. Why is that, because they have some false sense of entitlement and have never been held accountable for their actions. They get mad when someone actually holds them accoutable. Requiring people to follow rules is not censorship, it is life. Maybe you don't understand that, maybe you do. To explain what I removed, it was not the words cronyism, charlatans or any of that. The poster has said that so many times now that it has lost its effect. What I found completely out of line was the pissing on someone's grave(soon) comment. If that person, you or anyone else finds nothing wrong with that, well there is nothing I can say that will help you. I have my own opinion about people that finds pleasure or finds nothing wrong with intentionally hurting another human being, but I will keep that to myself. I have not censored the term "trailer county", I have simply asked that it not be used. Are any of you so above anyone else that you can't honor someone's simple request to not use one term? Why are you so offended by that? Please explain that to me if you can. This is Taylor County, not Trailer County and I just want adult comments, not childish, silly, stupid comments like that. Those that have been here for the duration know I am a staunch supporter of the Bill of Rights, and asking people to keep TCT what is was created to be has nothing to do with the First Amendment. Many times people use the freedom of speech argument when it doesn't apply.
I will say this one last thing. If any of you want to publicly attack people and don't want to offer constructive, useful discussion, then create your own site that satisfies those hateful appetites.
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I forgot one thing, regardless I appreciate your candor and participation and you are still welcome here and I respect your opinions. Hope to see you back, but if not, I understand. Take care.
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It is about time, but most of the false comments on all if not most of our public officials have been made. You are a little to late to start moderating now, but lets see how it goes from here.
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Anonymous you are truely a sicko with a grudge that is only bigger then your ego. What did this man do to you to make you go whacko. Did he fire you or something. And mister miserible just who is this guy you would like to desecate his grave if you are such a big man call names bigshot. or just hide your chicken self and smell your own breathe...
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I saw the removed post earlier this afternoon, no names were used, I was not sure who was being discussed or referenced. No profanity, I did not find the comments anymore caustic than other comments. If the shoe (comments) fit someone...so be it. Speaking of chickens...they do come home to roost when people make mistakes.
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Public officials should develop thick skin, if they do not like the "public" commenting on their shortfalls, they should resign from office. Most people applaled about comments on this blog think nothing about making the same comments about our president and other public officials. Also, I did not feel the post from Tuesday that was removed was objectionable. The truth hurts as much as when a person does another wrong. Too bad so sad for these charlatans and potentates in our community who have robbed others for their own personal enrichment and benefit. You reap what you sow.
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I support the moderator's attempts to change the tenor of the forum; far too many posts have been made that are heavy on accusations but light on details.
If someone has insight into wrongdoing, I'm absolutely a proponent of seeing this forum used to shine light on that. But specifics need to be provided--otherwise the poster just comes across as petty and vindictive.
The post in question accused people in positions of power of "cronyism, self promotion, using boards and committees for personal use, and fraud." Those are serious charges. How about some details to back them up? If such behavior is as rampant as some people say, it should be no problem to identify specific incidents.
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ok, using dmh to tie up a billboard and then getting said billboard for personal use.
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TC Citizen. Details and identifying specific incidents requires a formal investigation. Outside help from state or federal officials is needed. This won't happen from within Taylor county or on a blog. No one local has the guts to subpoena the wrongdoers. Find people that left town and ask them about serious charges. Could be that they are not afraid. You got some other way to start. I'm all ears.
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Influence peddliung for one. I am sure DMH has had some sincere and great board members, but there have also been some questionable board members and their actions. If you have watched these things for some time you can see a pattern of some folks and groups of folks. It is sad that a few folks always turn up and spoil the best plans. You see that in Tallahassee as well. All folks volunteer for a reason. Unfortunately, a lot of groups, including DMH are judged by the worse members, not the best members.
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Not one suggestion on how to start. I guess they deserve to keep the money. No one here has the guts to go after the details. Enjoy your stay at the Hampton or your visit to Premier.
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You have to wonder who is on the list of investors in such projects...DMH board members, employees, docs?
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The hiring process at DMH must be super secret. A friend of mine applied for a number of clerical jobs. My friend never heard anything from HR about any of the positions so she called HR only to find out that the positions were already filled. Why don't they notify applicants when someone is hired for the position? Who do you have to know to even get an interview? It seems this has been the practice for years.
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Hey, do not act surprised, this is Taylor County! (Note to BM, I did not say trailer county per your request.). It happens everywhere else in publically funded jobs programs. I think that since the tax-payers have kept DMH afloat, we should have a representative on these personnel committees. Another club of cronys.
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Good idea. How long would it be before that person is on the gravy train. I guess it depends on whether they want to build a hotel or not.
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Guess I answer my own question. Not long. But maybe everyone has died off or sold their businesses to a new club of cronies. Either way, it must be all super secret. Have the county break it wide open. lol
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