WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:05.480 Days Night Side with Dan Ray on WBS Condon's video. 2 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:13.119 Well, the beginning earlier this week, actually on Monday night 3 00:00:13.199 --> 00:00:20.399 at nine o'clock, we have spoken about the Stewart Hospital 4 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:23.440 clothing closing. Now, we did not touch on the subject 5 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:27.000 last night. We talked about it. We spent an hour 6 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:30.000 on it Monday night. We spent a couple of hours 7 00:00:30.039 --> 00:00:33.359 on it Tuesday night, and we spent a half an 8 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:39.520 hour with Congressman Laurie Trahan of Massachusetts the congressional district. 9 00:00:39.600 --> 00:00:45.920 And so today a deal in principle has occurred, and 10 00:00:45.960 --> 00:00:49.679 I'd like to try to explain it as best I can. 11 00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:53.679 I know we've heard the news reports today, but there 12 00:00:53.719 --> 00:01:00.479 were several hospitals that were owned by Stuart Healthcare and 13 00:01:00.920 --> 00:01:05.480 Stewart Healthcare, and we've talked about it this week was 14 00:01:05.560 --> 00:01:12.840 involved in some very interesting financial arrangements that I believe 15 00:01:13.640 --> 00:01:19.640 will be looked at carefully in retrospect. But basically, Stewart 16 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:23.439 said that it was putting several of these facilities up 17 00:01:23.480 --> 00:01:28.040 for sale. And the hospitals in question of Saint Elizabeth's 18 00:01:28.079 --> 00:01:35.079 Medical Center in Brighton, that facility as well as the 19 00:01:35.120 --> 00:01:39.439 Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, the Lawrence to hospitals 20 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:43.359 up in the Merrimack Valley area, Holy Family Hospital in 21 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:48.799 mathun Holy Family Hospital in haverl also Saint Ian's Hospital 22 00:01:48.920 --> 00:01:53.200 in fall River, and Morton Hospital in Taunton. These hospitals 23 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:58.519 were a part of what was called Caratas Christie which 24 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:02.200 the hospitals were run by the Archdiocese of Boston, and 25 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:04.200 most of them were run by the Archdiocese of Boston 26 00:02:04.280 --> 00:02:08.199 up into twenty ten when they sold when the Archdiocese 27 00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:14.360 needed cash in large part for the pre pedophile scandal, 28 00:02:14.840 --> 00:02:19.360 and that set in motion a set of circumstances in 29 00:02:19.439 --> 00:02:24.280 which these hospitals were purchased by this group called Stewart. 30 00:02:24.800 --> 00:02:32.520 They stayed here based in Massachusetts for five years, and 31 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:35.400 then in twenty and fifteen they stopped cooperating with the 32 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:40.599 regulators and they relocated the headquarters from Boston to Dallas, Texas. 33 00:02:41.039 --> 00:02:44.840 And of course they did not file the information that 34 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:47.919 was needed, and so it's a huge mess. It's a 35 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:53.960 huge mess. But the bottom line is that the removal 36 00:02:54.039 --> 00:02:59.800 of these hospitals from the medical community in Massachusetts would 37 00:02:59.800 --> 00:03:03.400 have a devastating impact when you realize we talked last 38 00:03:03.439 --> 00:03:08.120 hour with a doctor from the Chan School of Public 39 00:03:08.120 --> 00:03:10.879 Health and making the point that it's tough just to 40 00:03:10.919 --> 00:03:14.960 find a doctor, never mind a hospital. So as a 41 00:03:15.039 --> 00:03:20.960 consequence of everything that's gone on the last few weeks, 42 00:03:21.879 --> 00:03:28.280 Sat Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton will continue under the 43 00:03:28.319 --> 00:03:34.159 auspices of the Boston Medical Center BMC. Boston Medical Center, 44 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:38.719 which of course is in Boston's South End, used to 45 00:03:38.719 --> 00:03:42.840 be what we call Boston City Hospital, will also take 46 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:48.159 over the Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton. So Boston 47 00:03:48.199 --> 00:03:54.479 Medical Center will expand Lawrence General Hospital will acquire two hospitals. 48 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:58.840 They're both Holy Family Hospitals. Again, these are Catholic hospitals, 49 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:03.759 formerly Catholic hospitals. Holy Family Hospital which has a facility 50 00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:06.680 in Mathune and one in Havel, So Lawrence General Hospital 51 00:04:06.719 --> 00:04:10.280 will take over those two hospitals. Congressman Laurie Trhan was 52 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:14.000 very concerned about those hospitals in her in her district. 53 00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:17.439 There's a third hospital in her district which unfortunately will 54 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:23.319 not will be closed unfortunately. Now, a Providence based health 55 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:27.759 system called Lifespan Health System will buy Saint Anne's Hospital 56 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:32.360 in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton, so that 57 00:04:32.839 --> 00:04:37.079 health system Lifespan Health System in Rhode Island will now 58 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:41.519 have a footprint here in Massachusetts. The two hospitals that 59 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:46.720 apparently are going to close because I've seen nothing to 60 00:04:46.759 --> 00:04:51.920 suggest anything to the contrary, Cornie Hospital in Dorchester and 61 00:04:52.000 --> 00:04:55.319 the Shoba Valley Medical Center in north central Massachusetts in 62 00:04:55.319 --> 00:04:58.759 the town of Ayr which is in Congressman Trahan's district, 63 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:02.720 are slightly ac by August thirty first, because Stewart said 64 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:07.360 they had failed to attract any qualified bids. This has 65 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:12.079 caused a lot of consternation. The Healthy Administration says that 66 00:05:12.120 --> 00:05:15.639 they have worked very hard to resolve this as best 67 00:05:15.680 --> 00:05:19.160 they can under the circumstances. What I would like to 68 00:05:19.199 --> 00:05:23.839 do is open up the calls and allow you to 69 00:05:23.920 --> 00:05:28.360 comment on this. It is probably as good a resolution 70 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:32.319 as we could possibly hope for. But my question is 71 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:34.360 a more fundamental question, and I'd like to know if 72 00:05:34.399 --> 00:05:37.000 you agree with me, and that is, how is it 73 00:05:37.560 --> 00:05:41.600 that here in Massachusetts we claim to have the greatest 74 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:45.879 medical facilities in the world. I mean, you've heard that claim. 75 00:05:46.000 --> 00:05:53.000 I've heard that claim made often by politicians, by business leaders, 76 00:05:53.079 --> 00:05:56.519 community leaders, that people come from around the world to 77 00:05:56.560 --> 00:06:00.600 be treated medically in Boston. How is it that we 78 00:06:00.680 --> 00:06:06.240 could allow here in Massachusetts all of these hospitals, these 79 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:10.600 community hospitals, to fall under the control of an organization 80 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:15.920 like Stuart, which obviously has failed us. Now, whether they 81 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:19.839 have failed us intentionally, or whether they have failed us 82 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:21.920 because they bid off, whether they could chew and it 83 00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:25.879 was negligent, that's ultimately going to be determined, I assume 84 00:06:27.000 --> 00:06:31.920 by grand juries and district attorneys and who knows, maybe 85 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:34.319 even the US Attorney. But I just want to open 86 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:37.639 up the phone lines. It's been a very interesting week 87 00:06:37.680 --> 00:06:42.439 to watch this evolve, and the Healey administration as of 88 00:06:42.519 --> 00:06:46.199 tonight basically says, yeah, we've done a good job in 89 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:51.160 saving five of these hospitals, but at this point, actually 90 00:06:51.199 --> 00:06:54.079 six when you think about it, six of these hospitals, 91 00:06:54.519 --> 00:06:59.360 but two two have gone down the tubes or about 92 00:06:59.399 --> 00:07:02.120 to go down the tubes. Here's the phone number. We 93 00:07:02.160 --> 00:07:05.480 all talk about medical care. We always hear the politicians. 94 00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:09.000 You remember the debate over Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act 95 00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:12.839 are Romney here here in Massachusetts. Frankly, I think most 96 00:07:12.839 --> 00:07:15.839 of us hear the debate, and I don't think we 97 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:20.720 understand the debate. In my opinion, we don't understand what 98 00:07:20.759 --> 00:07:23.759 the implications are, and we just go along with it. 99 00:07:24.279 --> 00:07:26.879 I think the medical system in this country is way 100 00:07:26.920 --> 00:07:31.040 too confusing, way too confusing, And I'd like to hear 101 00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:34.600 from you. Are you satisfied with the medical system that 102 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:37.079 we're dealing with here in America? We are not a 103 00:07:37.079 --> 00:07:41.279 third world country, ladies and gentlemen. We need more doctors, 104 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:49.399 we need better control of funding, we need more responsibility 105 00:07:49.439 --> 00:07:53.399 from our politicians. I don't think most of these politicians 106 00:07:53.879 --> 00:07:58.319 understand what's going on here. Now you might say, well, 107 00:07:58.399 --> 00:08:02.160 if they don't understand, who is going to understand. I 108 00:08:02.199 --> 00:08:04.560 think the people who understand that are the corporate people 109 00:08:04.920 --> 00:08:08.079 for the hospitals. Here's the number six one seven, four 110 00:08:08.160 --> 00:08:12.879 ten thirty, six one seven two five four ten thirty 111 00:08:12.959 --> 00:08:16.759 and six one seven, nine three one ten thirty. Are 112 00:08:16.759 --> 00:08:20.959 you satisfied with the medical care you're receiving here in Massachusetts? 113 00:08:21.079 --> 00:08:22.839 As I told you, I talked with a dear friend 114 00:08:22.839 --> 00:08:25.879 of mine today who is anything but satisfied with the 115 00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:30.199 medical care she's receiving. And she's a former big time nurse, 116 00:08:30.560 --> 00:08:34.039 so she knows the failings of the system. But the 117 00:08:34.120 --> 00:08:37.720 system is doing more than just failing her it fails. 118 00:08:37.879 --> 00:08:41.480 Lots and lots of people. We have politicians who say, hey, 119 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:43.440 come one, come on, come on into the state. It 120 00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:45.759 doesn't matter. Those are people who are now sitting in 121 00:08:45.799 --> 00:08:50.679 our emergency rooms and are tying up emergency rooms. Let's 122 00:08:51.039 --> 00:08:53.039 let's hear from you. Whatever your point of view is, 123 00:08:53.080 --> 00:08:54.919 this is one where I think all points of view 124 00:08:54.919 --> 00:08:57.440 should be on the table. Let's have at it for 125 00:08:57.480 --> 00:08:59.519 the next hour or so. Coming up at ten o'clock, 126 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:03.679 I liked, I will switch topics. I'm going to raise 127 00:09:03.720 --> 00:09:07.679 the possibility that it's that it's possible. I'm not saying 128 00:09:07.720 --> 00:09:10.200 it's probable, but it's possible. Donald Trump could find himself 129 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:12.879 in jail or running for the presidency in the final 130 00:09:12.919 --> 00:09:15.720 weeks of this campaign. Wouldn't that be something? And then 131 00:09:15.759 --> 00:09:17.559 in the eleven o'clock hour tonight, I want to know 132 00:09:18.120 --> 00:09:20.679 what is left on your bucket list for the summer 133 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:23.840 of twenty twenty four. What do you want to accomplish 134 00:09:23.879 --> 00:09:27.799 this summer that you thought about, maybe you've already planned. 135 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:30.320 What are you going to try to get accomplished this 136 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:35.360 summer before Oh Columbus Day weekend. Back on nightside, Let's 137 00:09:35.440 --> 00:09:38.399 talk hospitals. Let's talk medical care. It affects us all. 138 00:09:38.440 --> 00:09:41.120 It may not affect you now if you're thirty five 139 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:43.200 and you're not seeing your doctor every year because you're 140 00:09:43.440 --> 00:09:45.039 in fine health and you go to the gym and 141 00:09:45.080 --> 00:09:47.919 all of that, but it all it catches up with everyone. 142 00:09:48.159 --> 00:09:51.919 Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty six one seven, nine, three, one, 143 00:09:52.039 --> 00:09:54.519 ten thirty Coming right back on Nightside. 144 00:09:54.799 --> 00:09:58.000 Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World 145 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:00.799 Nightside Studios on w News. 146 00:10:00.840 --> 00:10:04.159 We're here, all right, let's go to the phones here. 147 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:10.120 We have rich in Wellesley. Tough to read that screen there, Rob, 148 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:12.159 but that's okay. We got rich and Wellesley. Rich going 149 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:15.200 to start us off this hour talking about the apparent 150 00:10:15.320 --> 00:10:21.039 resolution of well for some of the hospitals of this crisis, 151 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:23.519 the Stewart healthcare crisis. Go right ahead, Rich. 152 00:10:24.559 --> 00:10:25.559 By Dan Good Show. 153 00:10:27.080 --> 00:10:31.639 Two things. I had an idea that obviously the legislature 154 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:33.559 is a farce and they don't know what they're doing, 155 00:10:34.000 --> 00:10:36.919 and you know, if they did, this wouldn't happen. But 156 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:40.440 an idea that maybe we could get some business people 157 00:10:40.440 --> 00:10:43.080 that would volunteer five or six of them and they 158 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:46.000 would look at certain programs in this state and say, 159 00:10:46.039 --> 00:10:47.840 you know what, We're not going to let them buy 160 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:50.600 more than three because this is whether it's Enron or 161 00:10:50.639 --> 00:10:53.799 all these other corporations. They come in, they take everything out, 162 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:56.080 they buy it, then they turn around and sell the 163 00:10:56.080 --> 00:10:59.559 best pots off and now they're going into bankruptcy. First 164 00:10:59.600 --> 00:11:01.480 of all, they ever should have owned all these hospitals. 165 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:04.159 I was actually born at Saint Elizabeth. It was a 166 00:11:04.159 --> 00:11:08.120 great hospital, and all these hospitals years ago ran very well. 167 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:10.799 They didn't have these problems that they do. Know, and 168 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:13.720 these people that are taking them over dat crooks and 169 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:14.720 they ought to go to jail. 170 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:20.320 Well they may, I mean you as I understand that 171 00:11:20.320 --> 00:11:22.759 there's some grand juries that are looking at all of this. 172 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:27.039 Certainly regulators are concerned about it. So yeah, that's that's 173 00:11:27.200 --> 00:11:31.600 entirely possible. What my concern is that I don't remember 174 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:37.840 it being this confusing in terms of getting medical care. 175 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:41.279 I obviously am in the wrong side of fifty, but 176 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:45.200 the idea of you know, I don't know where we 177 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:48.799 went wrong in terms of medical care. I can remember 178 00:11:49.080 --> 00:11:52.799 as a little boy being sick. At one point I 179 00:11:52.840 --> 00:11:56.919 had scarlet fever and we had a doctor who made 180 00:11:56.960 --> 00:12:00.960 house calls literally, doctor Lewis bluestein Nyde Park made a 181 00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:04.759 house made house calls. I don't know what happened to 182 00:12:04.799 --> 00:12:08.159 that model, Okay, I don't. Doctors tell me, and I'd 183 00:12:08.200 --> 00:12:10.159 love to hear from you who are doctors on this 184 00:12:10.279 --> 00:12:14.000 or oh who know doctors? Doctors tell me that that 185 00:12:14.080 --> 00:12:17.759 they spend too much time writing reports and filling out 186 00:12:17.840 --> 00:12:22.559 records every every facility that now I'm associated with, you 187 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:25.519 have to go into some sort of computer to find 188 00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:29.960 out when your uh, when your appointments are, who you are. 189 00:12:31.240 --> 00:12:34.279 They have they have twice the staff now that they 190 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:37.679 used to. My doctor just left New Welsey's in there 191 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:40.759 twenty five years and he went to Route nine and 192 00:12:40.799 --> 00:12:44.679 they have like nine people on the staff for I 193 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:48.600 think three doctors plus two people in billings just to 194 00:12:48.679 --> 00:12:51.360 run that. If you go to newt Wellsey right now, 195 00:12:51.440 --> 00:12:54.759 it'll take you around four hours in the emergency room. 196 00:12:54.799 --> 00:12:57.279 And three years ago I went to Mass General with 197 00:12:57.360 --> 00:13:00.279 a hot condition and I was on a gurney out 198 00:13:00.279 --> 00:13:02.639 in the hall for eleven hours. 199 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:07.879 I've heard I've heard simil I've heard similar stories, absolutely 200 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:11.639 similar stories. I have at times been in the er 201 00:13:11.840 --> 00:13:14.600 at Wellesley Hospital and I haven't found it to be 202 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:19.080 a particularly a pleasant experience. To be really honest with you, Now, 203 00:13:19.360 --> 00:13:22.679 maybe those hospitals are just overwhelmed on any given night 204 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:26.879 that there's too many automobile accidents or whatever. Maybe maybe 205 00:13:26.879 --> 00:13:30.080 they're not staffed up properly. If you heard during last 206 00:13:30.120 --> 00:13:33.559 hour we talked with a physician or doctor from the 207 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:38.080 chan Harvard School of Public Health. My understanding is that 208 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:43.000 the organized medicine in this in this country, in the 209 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:47.440 person of the A m A, basically somehow is able 210 00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:51.519 to prevent more medical schools from being open. Do you 211 00:13:51.519 --> 00:13:54.960 know how many doctors are admitted? How many physician patients 212 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:58.480 are admitted at the University of Massachusetts Medical School every year? 213 00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:03.559 Take a guess how many are admitted. 214 00:14:03.960 --> 00:14:06.879 I'll say one hundred and twenty. 215 00:14:07.879 --> 00:14:10.320 Oh, my god, that's at one hundred and twenty. 216 00:14:10.440 --> 00:14:14.159 Okay, you know how much money we spend here in Massachusetts. 217 00:14:14.200 --> 00:14:16.960 We have a state budget of fifty eight billion dollars. 218 00:14:17.320 --> 00:14:20.200 We can't train more than one hundred and twenty doctors. 219 00:14:20.519 --> 00:14:23.159 And we've got some of the best schools in the country. 220 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:24.519 Oh. 221 00:14:24.600 --> 00:14:32.720 Absolutely, and no, no, it's extraordinarily competitive. I can tell 222 00:14:32.759 --> 00:14:39.440 you that that I've known young students from Massachusetts. As 223 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:42.559 a matter of fact, one student, I'm not going to 224 00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:46.639 identify that student. It was a brilliant student at Boston College, 225 00:14:47.200 --> 00:14:51.240 just top grades at Boston College. His father is a surgeon. 226 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:55.039 He could not get into the U mathematical school. He 227 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:59.120 could not This kid was eminently qualified, with a pedigree, 228 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:01.879 a family pedigree of a dad who was a surgeon. 229 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:06.519 He ended up going to a US you know, American 230 00:15:06.600 --> 00:15:08.559 based hospital. But there are a lot of kids who 231 00:15:08.600 --> 00:15:12.120 go to these hospitals that are offshore and they're learning 232 00:15:12.159 --> 00:15:15.799 to become doctors, not at American facilities that they're they're 233 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:19.759 learning offshore. Why are we not training more doctors. 234 00:15:20.919 --> 00:15:23.720 We have more foreign people coming in with money that 235 00:15:23.840 --> 00:15:26.840 can do things. But the real thing, dan is, just 236 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:30.120 comes down to a couple of things. The hospitals in 237 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:33.080 the last twenty years have been run by greed, just 238 00:15:33.200 --> 00:15:36.320 like the insurance companies. That's why the insurance companies started 239 00:15:36.360 --> 00:15:39.120 taking over the hospitals because they realized they could make 240 00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:41.799 a profit twenty years ago. And I've had doctors tell 241 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:45.039 me this. So bottom line is it's greed and money. 242 00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:48.000 And then it's as I said, they buy these places, 243 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:50.320 they take out the best parts and then they turn 244 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:53.080 around and they file bankruptcy and they walk away with 245 00:15:53.120 --> 00:15:55.639 their money. But none of these guys running these places 246 00:15:55.879 --> 00:15:58.600 are going to lose the millions of dollars that they've lost. 247 00:15:58.840 --> 00:16:01.519 Where they you know, where they go to jail. As 248 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:03.600 far as New Welsey, I've been there twenty times in 249 00:16:03.639 --> 00:16:07.799 the last fifteen years. And up until three years ago, 250 00:16:08.200 --> 00:16:11.080 the emergency room was really good. The problem is you 251 00:16:11.120 --> 00:16:13.960 can't get the nurses. All these places just have a 252 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:16.559 nursing school was Sale had one gentleman. 253 00:16:18.279 --> 00:16:21.840 General, Regis College and Regions has one. 254 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:24.320 Yeah, then they all have them for two years and 255 00:16:24.320 --> 00:16:28.600 three years and four years. Former relative went to Northeast 256 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:30.919 and got her degree, you know, for four years, and 257 00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:34.679 there's an RN for twenty five years. But they came 258 00:16:34.679 --> 00:16:36.759 along a few years ago and they said to her, 259 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:39.840 you've got twenty five years. We'll buy you out right 260 00:16:39.879 --> 00:16:43.279 now for one hundred thousand on the dot in the 261 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:46.720 next five days if you want to leave, why because 262 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:49.879 she's too expensive to keep and her medicals too expensive 263 00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:52.480 to keep. So they hire somebody else for you know, 264 00:16:52.600 --> 00:16:54.399 there's three years. The other thing I don't off you 265 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:57.120 realize it is we have a lot of traveling nurses 266 00:16:57.120 --> 00:16:59.600 to come to Massachusetts because. 267 00:17:00.320 --> 00:17:03.159 A bunch of aspects of this story that we're just 268 00:17:03.200 --> 00:17:04.519 scraping the surface here, and. 269 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:08.559 I appreciate it comes down to just money. Dan, if 270 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:11.400 we could get some people, as they said, volunteering and 271 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:14.799 in real business sense that aren't politicians, that don't have 272 00:17:14.839 --> 00:17:17.680 to answer to anybody. I mean, if you heard a 273 00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:19.759 great man just passed. He was one of the most 274 00:17:19.759 --> 00:17:22.599 fantastic men I've ever met. If you had five Jack 275 00:17:22.720 --> 00:17:27.160 Bonnets to work in the system, the whole system would 276 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:29.920 change in five years. I mean, that's the kind of 277 00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:32.559 quality that used to be around, that was helping a 278 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:34.720 lot of you know, different. 279 00:17:36.200 --> 00:17:36.720 Groups. 280 00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:41.000 Well let's let's let's I'm up in the nine thirty news. 281 00:17:41.079 --> 00:17:44.839 Let us continue our conversation. But I'm hoping others will 282 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:47.559 join this conversation and point out some improvements that can 283 00:17:47.599 --> 00:17:51.359 be made, because well, the baby boomer generation is only 284 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:54.160 getting older. There's more care that's going to be needed. 285 00:17:55.359 --> 00:18:00.000 I'm telling you, if our system here in Massachusetts is 286 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:02.799 a mess, and I'm beginning to think it's more of 287 00:18:02.799 --> 00:18:06.319 a mess than we realize, than than what it will bad. 288 00:18:06.440 --> 00:18:06.599 Dan. 289 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:09.640 But if you go south. To go south, it'll be worse. 290 00:18:09.680 --> 00:18:10.839 But I appreciate your time. 291 00:18:11.079 --> 00:18:12.680 I appreciate you taking the time to call it. 292 00:18:13.160 --> 00:18:15.559 Rick, appreciate it very very much. Rich, thank you so much. 293 00:18:16.119 --> 00:18:19.839 Talk to you soon. Good night. Six seven two ten thirty, 294 00:18:19.880 --> 00:18:22.119 triple eight nine two nine ten thirty and six one 295 00:18:22.240 --> 00:18:24.559 seven nine three one ten thirty. I will tell you 296 00:18:24.599 --> 00:18:27.319 we will talk about this until ten o'clock. At ten 297 00:18:27.359 --> 00:18:30.400 o'clock we will change topics, so we're not going to 298 00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:32.759 go two hours on this one. Right now, I would 299 00:18:32.799 --> 00:18:35.119 love to hear from as many of you who might 300 00:18:35.200 --> 00:18:38.599 be involved in the medical community, get your reaction to 301 00:18:38.680 --> 00:18:41.759 the to the angst that so many people have gone 302 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:45.240 through in the last month or so with the Steward crisis, 303 00:18:45.759 --> 00:18:50.640 which apparently for some of these hospitals has been resolved tonight, 304 00:18:51.000 --> 00:18:54.200 but they're two for which there is no resolution, the 305 00:18:54.279 --> 00:18:58.599 Cornie Hospital and the Nashoba Valley Hospital and Air both 306 00:18:58.799 --> 00:19:02.519 are destined to close by the end of this month. 307 00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:07.640 That's a lot of hospital space here in the state 308 00:19:07.640 --> 00:19:10.880 of Massachusetts. Feel free if you're a nurse, if you're 309 00:19:10.920 --> 00:19:13.920 a doctor, and and you want to give us some 310 00:19:14.000 --> 00:19:16.519 suggestions as what needs to be done. So we can 311 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:19.440 avoid the next crisis. That's what I'm talking about our nightside. 312 00:19:19.440 --> 00:19:20.720 But coming back right after. 313 00:19:20.519 --> 00:19:24.079 This, you're on the night Side with Dan Ray on 314 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:26.680 Boston's news radio. 315 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:30.960 Some strong words there from the airtowle manager, and again 316 00:19:31.039 --> 00:19:34.279 it's you know, I don't want to leave this at 317 00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:37.880 the feet of this governor because I think this predated 318 00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:42.480 this governor. In fairness to this governor, but somehow, some way, 319 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:45.599 we got to get ahead of these problems so people 320 00:19:45.640 --> 00:19:47.839 don't have to deal with these problems. Let me go 321 00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:51.640 next to Mark in Clinton, Massachusetts. Mark, you and next 322 00:19:51.640 --> 00:19:53.160 on nightside. Thanks for calling. 323 00:19:52.880 --> 00:19:57.079 In Yallo, Dan, how are you Mark? 324 00:19:57.319 --> 00:19:59.200 I'm doing fine. Thank you for joining us. Go right 325 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:00.240 ahead by Yeah. 326 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:03.279 Yeah, it's got a few things. First off, I actually 327 00:20:03.400 --> 00:20:07.240 talked to my doctor about this, and he said this 328 00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:10.960 was maybe a month ago, and he said, he goes, 329 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:13.759 this happens not frequently, but once in a while, and 330 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:17.039 he goes, what's probably gonna happen is kind of like 331 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:19.440 what's already happening is they're gonna they're gonna either get 332 00:20:19.440 --> 00:20:23.799 bought by another company or they're gonna merge with somebody, 333 00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:27.559 and he goes, So, so from that from that perspective, 334 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:30.839 it's you know, I guess it'll get solved. But the 335 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:32.799 course there's gonna be hospitals that close. 336 00:20:34.119 --> 00:20:37.240 Connie and Dorchester will apparently will close end the Shova 337 00:20:37.319 --> 00:20:40.039 Valley up in Air, which is not that far from you, 338 00:20:40.079 --> 00:20:40.519 by the way. 339 00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:44.119 Yeah, I know, I know exactly where that where that 340 00:20:44.240 --> 00:20:46.359 place is. I think I might have been there once 341 00:20:46.480 --> 00:20:48.400 or twice for appointments or whatnot. 342 00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:51.079 But from the end of August, you won't be there anymore. 343 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:55.160 Go ahead, Mark, But uh, I think a major part, 344 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:57.839 uh part of it too is I mean, I'm not 345 00:20:58.160 --> 00:21:00.200 that old, but when I when I was a kid, 346 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:03.480 when you went to the doctor, there was the secretary, 347 00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:06.240 there was a nurse that did your vitals, and then 348 00:21:06.279 --> 00:21:09.559 there was your doctor. And now there's like eight levels 349 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:13.720 of There's a one lady checks your temperature, one lady 350 00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:17.240 checks your weight. Then there's a person that you talk 351 00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:19.319 to in the office isn't even a nurse, he's like 352 00:21:19.359 --> 00:21:23.160 a nurse's assistant. And then they got there's there's too much. 353 00:21:24.000 --> 00:21:25.720 You know. The way I look at it is the 354 00:21:25.799 --> 00:21:29.920 difference between a big corporation, like say a big box store, 355 00:21:30.400 --> 00:21:33.319 and a small a small store is, you know, and 356 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:35.799 I've worked at both types of places, and when you 357 00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:38.960 work at a smaller store, you know, the chain of 358 00:21:39.000 --> 00:21:41.839 command is right there. Whereas you work in a big location, 359 00:21:42.680 --> 00:21:44.720 there's people that don't know what's going on because hey, 360 00:21:44.759 --> 00:21:47.160 that's that's not my department. I don't know what's going on, 361 00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:48.480 and I have no al. 362 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:52.160 Well, it's also runs up expenses. A lot of doctors 363 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:54.039 who I've talked to. I don't say a lot, but 364 00:21:54.119 --> 00:21:56.559 some doctors who I've talked to, and one doctor in 365 00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:59.720 particularly who I know who is a great doctor. I 366 00:22:00.359 --> 00:22:04.720 decided after the COVID situation that there was just too 367 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:08.839 much paperwork. He was a doctor in his prime. And 368 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:13.839 you know, we can't be losing doctors, and we cannot 369 00:22:14.440 --> 00:22:18.799 with an aging and a growing population. We need more 370 00:22:18.839 --> 00:22:22.599 medical students graduating here in America. We don't need doctors 371 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:25.519 com I mean, look, if they're going to bring people 372 00:22:25.599 --> 00:22:28.440 in the country, I would prefer them be doctors and nurses. 373 00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:31.519 I've said that all along. But given a choice between 374 00:22:31.599 --> 00:22:34.440 an American trained doctor and a doctor trained from anywhere 375 00:22:34.440 --> 00:22:36.559 else in the world, I'll take the American trained doctor, 376 00:22:36.599 --> 00:22:39.240 particularly the primary care physicians. 377 00:22:40.599 --> 00:22:44.079 Yeah, I think my opinion with d is in these countries, 378 00:22:44.119 --> 00:22:46.160 and I think a lot of them are coming from 379 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:50.519 India and the Philippines and maybe other Asian countries, it's cheaper. 380 00:22:50.640 --> 00:22:52.960 It's you know that over in some of those countries 381 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:55.759 it's not a great place to work or live, but 382 00:22:56.000 --> 00:22:59.759 education might be cheaper. Whereas over here, you want to 383 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:02.279 go to medical school, well, I don't know, it's hard 384 00:23:02.319 --> 00:23:05.480 to get in. It's half a million dollars and this, 385 00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:08.640 that and the other thing, and so we don't make 386 00:23:08.680 --> 00:23:11.079 it easy to become a doctor here. 387 00:23:11.400 --> 00:23:14.400 Right, But what I mean is who is who is 388 00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:19.079 choking that pipeline. My understanding is the American Medical Association 389 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:23.480 does not want to see more medical schools in the 390 00:23:23.599 --> 00:23:30.160 United States. And all I said, well, I just said 391 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:32.200 last hour. I happen to know this for a fact. 392 00:23:32.680 --> 00:23:36.680 At UMass Medical School, okay, which is the state's medicals. Now, 393 00:23:36.720 --> 00:23:39.000 there's a medical school at Boston University, is a medical 394 00:23:39.000 --> 00:23:40.960 school at Harvard. I get all of that. But at 395 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:45.839 the State College U Mass Medical one hundred and twenty 396 00:23:46.039 --> 00:23:50.119 students in the first year class. We could we should 397 00:23:50.160 --> 00:23:53.640 be able to train three to four hundred students qualified 398 00:23:53.680 --> 00:24:00.440 students right here in Massachusetts. Why is it. 399 00:23:57.480 --> 00:24:03.319 I mean, obviously, like the last caller said, the bottom line, 400 00:24:03.319 --> 00:24:07.079 it's money. But I've also I talked to another doctor 401 00:24:08.240 --> 00:24:11.119