I would say that this topic has certainly flown south, but to bring it back in line, I might add that I go along with the thought that having the Tyrone Hospital here, as a facility, is a great amenity for Tyrone and surrounding communities. I personally have had fine experiences there. For myself my mother and my daughter.
My heart does go out to Leep's family, for things certainly do happen. It is a shame. But to have the facility shut down because of a competency issue somewhere would also be a great shame. Lets hope all can be worked out up there and we get to keep this fine facility for the future.
Tyrone Hospital---Save me from that place:
-
Bill Latchford
- MVP Member
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 2:09 pm
- If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
- Location: Tyrone, Pa
- Contact:
-
Leep
- Senior Member
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 3:32 am
- If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
- Location: Butte, Mt.
Bill- I have to say I agree with your sentiments and with a few others here. Certainly all the blame cannot be laid at the feet of the hospital.
They simply do not have the money to pay the better Drs.
It is the same with all small towns.
Occasionally you will get lucky and get a good one. Dr. Lewis one case in point.
I am curious if many remember Dr Friday and his assault on the women of Tyrone in the seventies.
I personally know of 8 women and my wife and her friends and family know more that 20 more that received hysterectomies.(sp?) in the early seventies. Guess the good Dr needed the money to buy that land in Bald Eagle and build his kingdom...Most found out later that this surgery was un-ndeeded.
Leep out:
They simply do not have the money to pay the better Drs.
It is the same with all small towns.
Occasionally you will get lucky and get a good one. Dr. Lewis one case in point.
I am curious if many remember Dr Friday and his assault on the women of Tyrone in the seventies.
I personally know of 8 women and my wife and her friends and family know more that 20 more that received hysterectomies.(sp?) in the early seventies. Guess the good Dr needed the money to buy that land in Bald Eagle and build his kingdom...Most found out later that this surgery was un-ndeeded.
Leep out:
-
blueOOeyedsoutherngirl
- Member
- Posts: 70
- Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 5:17 pm
- If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
- Location: Portsmouth, Virginia
finally, some positive feed back on the hospital...the residents of Tyrone need that hospital. When I was a kid they took very good care of me when I was sick. And as far as Dr. Friday goes, he made the OBGYN unit a success and delivered a h*ll of alot of babies.
It is a shame that they have had such a stroke of bad luck.
It is a shame that they have had such a stroke of bad luck.
-
Bill Latchford
- MVP Member
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 2:09 pm
- If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
- Location: Tyrone, Pa
- Contact:
-
Kevin
Positive + Tyrone Hospital
I must say that Tyrone Hospital treated my family very well over the last 50 years.
We always received great service and treatment, even from the trips to the ER for minor events (that seems major at the time) to major life threatening episode and illnesses. (We were always refered to top notch physicians)
Tyrone Hospital has certainly served its' community well--Many communities would love to have a "hometown hospital". In Some places we have lived over the years, the nearest hospital would be over an hour aways--when you arrived, you would only be a room # not a person. There was certainly no 'hometown' connection or communication.
So Tyroner's appreciate what you have in your community.
We always received great service and treatment, even from the trips to the ER for minor events (that seems major at the time) to major life threatening episode and illnesses. (We were always refered to top notch physicians)
Tyrone Hospital has certainly served its' community well--Many communities would love to have a "hometown hospital". In Some places we have lived over the years, the nearest hospital would be over an hour aways--when you arrived, you would only be a room # not a person. There was certainly no 'hometown' connection or communication.
So Tyroner's appreciate what you have in your community.
-
banksy
- MVP Member
- Posts: 1036
- Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2002 12:51 am
- If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
- Location: North Ridgeville, OH (TAHS 85)
Qutoting an article in the Altoona Mirror, "Tyrone Hospital Officials say they have already taken steps to reduce costs and increase revenue." They go on to mention that "the hospital has also seen a substantial drop in patient admissions, surgeries, and emergency room visits."
So, basic economics say if revenues are down, the only other way to come out of bankruptcy is to cut costs. I would be interested to know what the ratio of patient to nurse care is for admitted patients. I personally just would not risk taking my loved one to Tyrone Hospital anymore knowing their financial woes, even if it means the level of care "may" not be compromised. It is just not something I would risk.
It's a shame, but the hospital is saying that an increasing number of their patients are medicaid patients, which results in very low reimbursement rates from the federal government.
There are other ways of reducing costs without cutting staff. New technology in billing, scheduling, and voice recognition which allows some staff elimination to reduce costs without improvising patient care are available, but the break even point on implementing those types of products is 3-6 years. Tyrone feels they will come out of bankruptcy in a year, so this can't be the route they are looking. Most likely they are still searching for a buyer to align with a hospital system.
So, basic economics say if revenues are down, the only other way to come out of bankruptcy is to cut costs. I would be interested to know what the ratio of patient to nurse care is for admitted patients. I personally just would not risk taking my loved one to Tyrone Hospital anymore knowing their financial woes, even if it means the level of care "may" not be compromised. It is just not something I would risk.
It's a shame, but the hospital is saying that an increasing number of their patients are medicaid patients, which results in very low reimbursement rates from the federal government.
There are other ways of reducing costs without cutting staff. New technology in billing, scheduling, and voice recognition which allows some staff elimination to reduce costs without improvising patient care are available, but the break even point on implementing those types of products is 3-6 years. Tyrone feels they will come out of bankruptcy in a year, so this can't be the route they are looking. Most likely they are still searching for a buyer to align with a hospital system.
-
Holtzy
This happened to my dad also...
In 2002, my dad allowed Dr "S" to operate on a hernia. After the surgery, he laid in Tyrone Hopsital for five days with a swelled stomach like I have never seen. They finally admitted that they did not know what was wrong and transported him to Altoona. Altoona Hospital discovered that Dr. "S" had pinched the intestine and after an emergecy surgery, he was placed on a respirator for 3 days. What a horrible experience. I called a lawyer, but they did not want to take the case.
I called Dr. "S" directly, and he never admitted to doing anything wrong. Now I know why he is always advertising in the paper "Accepting New Patients".....lol
I called Dr. "S" directly, and he never admitted to doing anything wrong. Now I know why he is always advertising in the paper "Accepting New Patients".....lol
-
jayestewart
- MVP Member
- Posts: 233
- Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2003 4:38 pm
- If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
- Location: Fort Pierce, Florida
Every medical procedure comes with risks. I have read all of the bad things that have happened on this forum and feel bad for those who have suffered through those situations. However, I still feel that it is a positive thing for a community to have a hospital. I am sure it has saved at least one life in the past and will continue to save lives as it serves the community. It would be a shame if the hospital would close its doors. The community needs to support the hospital and work to make it better. Working to destroy it could in turn lead to your own demise some day.
-
Leep
- Senior Member
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 3:32 am
- If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
- Location: Butte, Mt.
my Dad's friend Bob went into the Tyrone Hospital for a hernia operation..We saw him in the V.F.W. one day and he showed us his scar..He was on his third upcoming operation from the Butcher of Tyrone.
Dad said, "That man is gonna' kill you Bob, go the h*ll to ALtoona."
Bob did and even though his stomach and abdomen looked like an old ribbed washer board, the Dr. in Altoona finally fixed him.
My Dad went into the hospital, for the last time and even though I stressed about as strongly as i thought I could to never take my Dad back there, I'm in Montana and my family is all in and around Tyrone..
When a heart Dr from Altoona came down to Tyrone, every Wednesday I believe, he looked at my Dad's hernia, yeah it came back bigger and better than before, examined his scars and said, "Who did this to you."
My Dad , with his inimitable wit, said drolly, "Your Janitor."
The Dr. stood there .shoulders shaking with his silent laughter, then patted Dad on his shoulder and went on about his business.
But, sadly, my Dad's sense of humor was little defense against incompetency, neither was my Mothers' in her time..
There are many small hospitals in our country, with good "Dependable" people. But hospitals are like Political institutions and those who have tenure at Universitys. Once they are deeply ensconced, they are almost impossible to dislodge..
To say we must keep a hospital simmply because it is conveinent or wanted makes little sense if it is little more than a waiting area before you transfer to a more suitable, dependable instituion..
Just my opinion..
Leep Out:
Dad said, "That man is gonna' kill you Bob, go the h*ll to ALtoona."
Bob did and even though his stomach and abdomen looked like an old ribbed washer board, the Dr. in Altoona finally fixed him.
My Dad went into the hospital, for the last time and even though I stressed about as strongly as i thought I could to never take my Dad back there, I'm in Montana and my family is all in and around Tyrone..
When a heart Dr from Altoona came down to Tyrone, every Wednesday I believe, he looked at my Dad's hernia, yeah it came back bigger and better than before, examined his scars and said, "Who did this to you."
My Dad , with his inimitable wit, said drolly, "Your Janitor."
The Dr. stood there .shoulders shaking with his silent laughter, then patted Dad on his shoulder and went on about his business.
But, sadly, my Dad's sense of humor was little defense against incompetency, neither was my Mothers' in her time..
There are many small hospitals in our country, with good "Dependable" people. But hospitals are like Political institutions and those who have tenure at Universitys. Once they are deeply ensconced, they are almost impossible to dislodge..
To say we must keep a hospital simmply because it is conveinent or wanted makes little sense if it is little more than a waiting area before you transfer to a more suitable, dependable instituion..
Just my opinion..
Leep Out:
-
jayestewart
- MVP Member
- Posts: 233
- Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2003 4:38 pm
- If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
- Location: Fort Pierce, Florida
I agree that incompetence should not be tolerated at the hospital. I really think there has to be a way to make it better so that it can continue to serve the community. I am in no way lessening the impact bad decisions and bad practices have had on patients. I just think that some hospital is better than no hospital but perhaps the residents of Tyrone disagree and will close the doors so they MUST travel to Altoona for emergencies.
-
Leep
- Senior Member
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2005 3:32 am
- If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
- Location: Butte, Mt.
Its curious because I agree with what you assert also. The Tyrone Hospital has done good things....many births occurred there, successful ones...
Others have had good experiences with the facility also.
But, if there is a negative force, perhaps this adjective does not go far enough, but if it does indeed exist, what then does it say about the powers that be that would put the liability and the reputatioin of the institution above the welfare and care of the people that support it?
There is little doubt that this particular Dr., and I hesitate to use that modifier as well, has indeed caused untold damage over the years.
And, if some of us here and in the town have both witnessed this behaviour and or been the recipients of such, why then do those powers that be, refuse to address it...
Not only do they refuse to address it, they deny its existence..
And, we the people, who have neither the will or the capability to force them to make the change, continue to suffer simply because it is more expedient and much less expensive to put into place the tools to rectify it..
Heaven forbid we have a voice... Lord knows we are not intelligent enough to understand all the complexities of running a rural institution such as this.
Certainly, even though we were all educated at the same schools, we simply cannot possess the intellect to address this
situation on the same level as those that came from other places to grace us with their higher levels of education, their more highly evolved skills...
The people who make these decisions to keep these types of Drs on the payroll possess only one other asset that we do not... The power to ignore us, the power to shut us out of the decision process.. The power tp put profits ahead of peoples safety and even their very lives..
This is not a problem just with our fair town. it is one that exists virtually everywhere...
But, as our checkered past has shown, as a nation, it takes a world class shaking event to mobilize us into a force that the fools that rule the institution(s) will sit up and listen to..
This is true on the local level, as well, although the road that leads to change is the same. just a bit shorter, in our case, though none the less steep and fraught with peril..
Just my little late night rant and a bit of venting over the rotten things that happen to good people, people who go into these places expecting to be cared for and all too often come out worse or dead....simply because small towns do not have the capital to attract good, proficient Drs and all too often have to settle for those from other countries where Drs Licenses are handed out like tricker treats on Halloween, and then our idiot country looks at them, nods sagely and then gives them one from our country, good anywhere they end up. Even after they are ferreted out and sent packing, they do not lose their license to practice, which is what they do adds up to simple practice, because they never seem to get any better..
Then, they can move over one or two states and set up a new practice and start the butchery all over again...
Makes me wonder why someone who wins 100 million in the lottery does not immediately embark on a new vocation..
Ridding the world of such afflictions we usually inflict upon ourselves, usually by our indifference or inability move the collective masses into such a force that they must take heed and act..
Again, sorry for the small rant, but sometimes , late at night, such as right now, I miss my Mom, who would probably still be with us today if not for the ineptness of our fine institution, or my Dad, who might or might not still be here, but at least it would have been a more natural death and not one accellerated by the massive incompetence of Dr SSSSS...
They were my parents, so I do not expect a whole lot of sympathy, it would do little to mitigate what has happened, but
any one who has lost someone that they have loved their entire lives due to simple incompetence, will know whereof and whatof i speak.
Take care, Tyrone, though I live far away , it is still my home, where my family and my memories live in an uneasy alliance.
Leep Out:
Others have had good experiences with the facility also.
But, if there is a negative force, perhaps this adjective does not go far enough, but if it does indeed exist, what then does it say about the powers that be that would put the liability and the reputatioin of the institution above the welfare and care of the people that support it?
There is little doubt that this particular Dr., and I hesitate to use that modifier as well, has indeed caused untold damage over the years.
And, if some of us here and in the town have both witnessed this behaviour and or been the recipients of such, why then do those powers that be, refuse to address it...
Not only do they refuse to address it, they deny its existence..
And, we the people, who have neither the will or the capability to force them to make the change, continue to suffer simply because it is more expedient and much less expensive to put into place the tools to rectify it..
Heaven forbid we have a voice... Lord knows we are not intelligent enough to understand all the complexities of running a rural institution such as this.
Certainly, even though we were all educated at the same schools, we simply cannot possess the intellect to address this
situation on the same level as those that came from other places to grace us with their higher levels of education, their more highly evolved skills...
The people who make these decisions to keep these types of Drs on the payroll possess only one other asset that we do not... The power to ignore us, the power to shut us out of the decision process.. The power tp put profits ahead of peoples safety and even their very lives..
This is not a problem just with our fair town. it is one that exists virtually everywhere...
But, as our checkered past has shown, as a nation, it takes a world class shaking event to mobilize us into a force that the fools that rule the institution(s) will sit up and listen to..
This is true on the local level, as well, although the road that leads to change is the same. just a bit shorter, in our case, though none the less steep and fraught with peril..
Just my little late night rant and a bit of venting over the rotten things that happen to good people, people who go into these places expecting to be cared for and all too often come out worse or dead....simply because small towns do not have the capital to attract good, proficient Drs and all too often have to settle for those from other countries where Drs Licenses are handed out like tricker treats on Halloween, and then our idiot country looks at them, nods sagely and then gives them one from our country, good anywhere they end up. Even after they are ferreted out and sent packing, they do not lose their license to practice, which is what they do adds up to simple practice, because they never seem to get any better..
Then, they can move over one or two states and set up a new practice and start the butchery all over again...
Makes me wonder why someone who wins 100 million in the lottery does not immediately embark on a new vocation..
Ridding the world of such afflictions we usually inflict upon ourselves, usually by our indifference or inability move the collective masses into such a force that they must take heed and act..
Again, sorry for the small rant, but sometimes , late at night, such as right now, I miss my Mom, who would probably still be with us today if not for the ineptness of our fine institution, or my Dad, who might or might not still be here, but at least it would have been a more natural death and not one accellerated by the massive incompetence of Dr SSSSS...
They were my parents, so I do not expect a whole lot of sympathy, it would do little to mitigate what has happened, but
any one who has lost someone that they have loved their entire lives due to simple incompetence, will know whereof and whatof i speak.
Take care, Tyrone, though I live far away , it is still my home, where my family and my memories live in an uneasy alliance.
Leep Out:
-
Robbuck
- MVP Member
- Posts: 262
- Joined: Fri Nov 26, 2004 10:34 pm
- If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
- Location: Tyrone, Pa. (TAHS '74)
Just a little side note... there is an old joke that goes what do you call a person that graduates at the bottom of his medical school class.....Answer: Doctor......... I guess you get the medical care in a hospital that you pay for in the way of the hospital being able to afford good doctors, but I have had many late night experiences with the ER staff at Tyrone Hospital and have had nothing but good things to say about them.. They pay attention to what you tell them and respond accordingly.. So at least the ER part of the hospital has been a positive experience for me and my family...
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment
-
Bill Latchford
- MVP Member
- Posts: 608
- Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2002 2:09 pm
- If Mike has 13 apples, and gives six to Jane, how many does he have left?: 13
- Location: Tyrone, Pa
- Contact:
I agree with you Robbuck... :thumb: My whole family has utilized the Tyrone Hospital and have been treated great and well, taken care of quite nicely. I know what it is like to run to the ER not being able to breath and could not imagine making the trip to Altoona in that condition.Robbuck wrote:Just a little side note... there is an old joke that goes what do you call a person that graduates at the bottom of his medical school class.....Answer: Doctor......... I guess you get the medical care in a hospital that you pay for in the way of the hospital being able to afford good doctors, but I have had many late night experiences with the ER staff at Tyrone Hospital and have had nothing but good things to say about them.. They pay attention to what you tell them and respond accordingly.. So at least the ER part of the hospital has been a positive experience for me and my family...
-
Concerned Nurse
Thank you Bill an Robbuck for the positive words. I am so glad that you and your family have received great care from the Tyrone Hospital. I have been a nurse here for several years, since the beginning of my career. I have seen a lot of positive things here. It is terrible to hear such negative comments from the community. I often wonder what will happen if the doors close, and I hope that doesn't happen. I have witnessed the birth of many of Tyrone's little angels and also have taken care of them when they grow up, learn to walk, and take that first nasty spill. Do you know how many bumps, bruises, and abrasions I have patched up? Not only the children, but I see the adults and the elderly utilizing our facility. I have always welcomed them with opens arms and a smile. I hope to continue to serve your community and to continue to hear such positive experiences coming out this little hospital with a big heart. As an end note, I believe the title of this blog should be: Tyrone Hospital~ Let's Save this Place!