It is very disheartening when one is the victim of theft, and the recent break-in at Pandora’s Box has left us here at Ferret Shelter Northwest supremely disappointed. Very little was taken because they leave no cash in the register at night, and money was apparently what the burglar sought.
I encourage all islanders to go online today and make a pledge or donation to Vashon’s public schools through the Vashon Island Public Schools Foundation (vashonschoolsfoundation.com).
In the March 27, 2013, Beachcomber, there was an article titled “Two Vashon fisherman honored for heroism.”
I read with interest the concerns expressed by community members at the recent meeting held to discuss the impact of the proposed merger between Highline Medical Center and the Franciscan Health System on the Vashon Health Center. (“Islanders express skepticism over health care merger,” May 1) The reservations voiced by many appear to boil down to the desire to maintain community, organizational and individual autonomy and contro
I am writing to encourage someone to file to run for the board of commissioners for Water District 19. I particularly encourage candidates with a balanced perspective on the need to protect our island’s precious environment and our need to develop responsibly and sustainably.
Christopher Davis, MD, sent you a particularly clear message on his attitude on the proposed involvement of the Franciscan Health System in the salvation of the Vashon Health Center managed by Highline Medical Center. (Letters to the editor, May 1) He felt that Vashon ought to ignore their (bishops’) directives and, rather, appreciate the benefits we’ll derive from their deep pockets. He clarified his point with a simple comparison: If you’re far out at sea and sinking and someone — the Franciscans or a Coast Guard helicopter — offers to save you, would you take the opportunity to harangue your rescuers with questions about their policies? His message is clear: Just be glad that the Franciscans are willing to take you on board.
Last week, my friend Gregg Rocheford published a letter citing some often-quoted statistics about gun violence. The relatively low number of rifle murders as opposed to blunt objects, knives, etc. is really quite striking, but only if one assumes that “rifle” includes all homicides using firearms. I believe that this is the assumption that advocates of less gun regulation want you to make. When you include homicides by handguns, the picture looks entirely different.
Withholding medical procedures from patients that want it is about power, not medicine. The only religious values that matter in a doctor-patient relationship are, frankly, the patient’s.
I read with interest an article published in The Seattle Times on Sunday, April 28. The article concerned hospitals affiliating with Catholic-run systems. That article, together with comments that I have heard in our community have prompted me to write this letter.
At the meeting at McMurray on Wednesday night with a representative of the Franciscan Health System, I left the meeting worried that Vashon Islanders had lost sight of the big picture. Without the deep pockets of the FHS, it is only a matter of time before the clinic closes. Based on my professional experience, the FHS brings to Vashon access to exemplary medical and hospital services that cover the entire body from head to toe — not only the reproductive system. Looking around the room at McMurray, it occurred to me that the occupants of that room are much more likely to need cardiac care than reproductive counseling.
Recently, I overheard a debate on the island in which one person said that there is a gun problem in this country. I would like to offer some perspective on that debate, if the perception of a “gun problem” is based upon the number of deaths caused by guns.
In a couple of recent issues, there have been few or no letters in the opinion section.
Thank God the Catholic Church is heavily involved in health care — that way we know there is a conscience involved. I welcome the Franciscan Health System to the island, and I wish they would enforce their ethical and religious directives.