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IHA should heed its advice

Resident disagrees with how IHA dollars are spent and suggests some alternatives.

A recent article re: germs, was submitted to the Times by the  Manager of Environmental Health with Interior Health (Spread Joy not Germs, Trail Times Dec. 19).

The entire article might have been lifted, word for word, from any magazine since we are constantly told how to: store and thaw food safely, clean and refrigerate carefully in the kitchen, and how to “cook well”.

Even school students receive such advice in their cooking classes.

A few years back I commented on the misuse of highly paid employee time when a similar article on the dangers of sun tanning was submitted by an IHA management employee.

I suggest this manager take initiative and supervise the cleaning in our hospital, or contact another manager if the job description of Environmental Health does not include the cleanliness of our hospital.

A retired nurse told me that while she was a patient waiting to get into emergency, she sat watching in horror as the cleaning person wiped down a phone, possibly the most contaminated object around, then wiped a table top and then the counter top... with the same, never rinsed cloth.

What a classic example of how not to “clean carefully” how not to “Avoid cross contamination” (all titles in the recent IHA Times germs article.)

Many local families have suffered the consequences of hospital infection: inconvenience, amputation or even death.

Health care has been re-structured along corporate lines so there are now CEO’s, COO’s and many managers, assistant managers,etc. Health dollars go to salaries, severances, retirements.  Some of these positions need to be questioned and re-assessed as to their need.

Let’s see a better use of high paid employees...No needless articles but instead un-announced cleaning checks held; proper sanitizing methods reinforced and a responsibility by all employees to get the cleanliness levels up, so people don’t have to dread going onto the hospital premises.

Carol Albo

Rossland