The Whole World Is Watching That was what protesters chanted at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and it has never seemed more true than today. Almost everyone has a cell phone with a camera in it, and things get posted all over social media. If you are an elected government official, you better tell […]
What are the chances Rhode Island will be the first New England state to proceed with cannabis taxation and regulation? While there is a push by proponents in all New England states to legalize recreational marijuana, it is my hope that Rhode Island does not go down that path. There are too many unknowns associated […]
Fresh off the successful and widely acclaimed introduction of a new logo and slogan, “Size Doesn’t Matter,” the state tourism agency announced plans to convert Rhode Island into a theme park. “Once we discovered that the Rhode Island economy was so far in the tank that we couldn’t afford electricity, we decided to make the […]
It is a mystery, an unsolved crime: The US demands more cash for medical care than any other country in the world, yet we rank a dismal 39 in overall health. We cannot manage to provide universal coverage for our citizens, which is an anomaly in the civilized financially ranking world. But no wonder — […]
On March 17, the RI Department of Health (DOH) held the last of three public hearings in regard to Care New England’s (CNE) proposed closure of Memorial Hospital’s obstetrics unit. Each hearing drew about 100 different community members, birth advocates and medical professionals, and three members of the DOH, including Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, listened […]
On February 29, Care New England (CNE) announced a restructuring at Pawtucket’s Memorial Hospital that includes closing its ICU and obstetrics unit and sending those services to CNE-owned Kent and Women & Infants hospitals. As part of its announcement, CNE told staff and patients the obstetrics unit would deliver its last baby on March 10 […]
Making America Grate Your superior correspondents have watched far too many presidential debates this year. We have known all along that we would be voting Democratic (whether Bernie or Hillary), but can tell you, without hesitation, that we both support and will be voting for Bernie Sanders in the upcoming RI primary. The difference in […]
The story of the birthing unit at Memorial Hospital of RI is one of evolving maternity care in the American hospital system and the health disparities within it. The community’s fight to keep the labor and delivery unit open revealed many beautiful personal stories of how one obstetrical unit can hold the heart of a […]
We are going to wear out the memory of poor old Claude Rains, but like his Captain Louis Renault in Casablanca, Phillipe and Jorge are shocked – shocked! – to find that there was fraud involved by leaders of the state’s Economic Development Corporation (now RI Commerce) and Wells Fargo in regard to the 38 […]
Netflix’s “House of Cards” season 4 premiered today, and it got me thinking about Frank Underwood. He seems downright charming and harmless compared to the rogues gallery of Batman villains gracing the Republican debate stage, especially Donald Trump. I began to ponder, who is more evil — Donald Trump or the fictional character Frank Underwood, […]