Letters to the editor

Editor,

I am a registered nurse who works at the Acute Rehabilitation Unit at Mills Hospital. I was surprised to read an article regarding Mills, which might leave readers with the impression that the acute rehabilitation program will remain open. ("Rehab Center to Remain in County” in the Sept. 4 edition of the Daily Journal)

In fact, the hospital administration met with staff two weeks ago to announce that they intend to close the acute rehab unit and open a sub-acute rehab unit, which will be housed in the hospital’s skilled nursing facility.

Rehabilitation provided in skilled nursing facilities is much less intensive and comprehensive than the treatment currently provided in the Acute Rehabilitation Unit and results in longer patient stays, which increases the risk of complications. Moreover, patients who receive acute rehabilitation have much better outcomes. Finally, California state law protects acute rehabilitation patients by permitting a nurse to care for a maximum of five patients. In skilled nursing facilities, there are no such protections and one nurse may care for twenty patients or more. This necessarily prevents patients from receiving the intensive care they now receive at Mills Acute Rehab.

The bottom line is that Mills Acute Rehab will not remain in the county. Many patients who are currently treated at the hospital will be forced to travel to San Francisco to receive the same quality of care they now receive in their community. And even those patients who are still able to receive treatment at Mills will be ill-served by the downgrading of services available to them.

Betty Lee

Burlingame

Health care must happen now

Editor,

I don’t understand how having a healthy citizenry is somehow an "Obama issue” or "Obama referendum.” It’s about the United States having the same level of healthy citizenry — kids, workforce and seniors — that is the norm in other countries. The more the Republicans put up barriers to the passage of this legislation, the more money we will spend needlessly for emergency room visits and preventable illness. Let’s get this done now.

Patricia Nicholson

Burlingame