ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 29, 1996 TAG: 9605290098
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: LETTER
AMAZING HOW you plastered the May 23 Associated Press article, ``Nurses admit role in deaths,'' on the front page of your newspaper!
So where was the headline when nurses marched on Washington on May 10 to rally to protect the rights of patients and health-care professionals? I guess there was no sensationalism in the fact that nurses from every state took their own time and finances to protest the way "health-care companies" are dictating the way people receive care.
The irony of it is that these companies benefit by denying more than they give. Nurses were letting people know that these managed-care corporations are accruing billions of dollars by refusing or limiting medical treatment. This not only affects the lives of the terminally ill, but the life of every health-care consumer. I think this needs to be focused on.
If, as some claim, the health-care industry is in such dire straits, why did the January 1994 issue of Forbes magazine state that health care had been the most profitable industry in the nation for the past five years?
You also didn't write about how nurses are rallying their representatives in Washington to support the Patient and Health-care Professional Protection Act. This will be a beginning for health-care providers to take back their right to provide quality care, and it will protect them legally while they do it! This is what you should write about regarding nurses and health care if you're truly concerned with saving lives. MARY WRIGHT Registered Nurse ROANOKE
`Henry Street' tells it like it was
ON APRIl 27, I saw something that I had never seen before: ``Henry Street,'' on stage in Whitman Auditorium at Virginia Western Community College.
I never had an opportunity to see the color, excitement and the entertainment that Henry Street had to offer when it was alive and buzzing. Also, ``Henry Street'' had prevously sold out before I could purchase a ticket. Imagine my excitement when I was able to purchase tickets on the front row.
I cannot describe how great and enjoyable the performance was. Greta Evans' narration was creative, dramatic and vivid. While listening to her voice, the music and the singers, and watching the dancers, I felt like I had gone back in time and was really there for all the excitement that was Henry Street of the past. All of these fine performers made ``The Yard'' come alive again, if only for a brief moment.
I now feel I can truly say that I've been to Henry Street. However, those flashbacks of Henry Street past saddened me when I thought about the conditions of present-day Henry Street. JOHN GIBSON SR. ROANOKE
Judicial system tilts against victims
I HAVE taught my children to respect the law and depend on the judicial system to protect them. I had occasion to be present in a Roanoke city courtroom. I was very concerned about how our system works.
It appeared to me that in some instances more sentencing was being given for petty theft than for violent crimes. The victim was more on trial than the criminal. The alleged criminal is extended more protection and consideration than the victim, and is notified of and given more constitutional rights than the victim. Good excuses justified the crime.
We have a society where people are taking the law more into their own hands and not depending on our judicial system. Until we see the system protect victims and not criminals, we're teaching that there's no crime in hurting each other.
Our judicial system may not be perfect, but it's still there for us and we must continue to use it. If we don't, then we'll be no better than the criminal. We need to observe and speak out when we feel our system has failed us. JUDY MASON ROANOKE
Business as usual marred holiday
MEMORIAL Day or Sales Day? It seemed more like Sales Day.
Stores opened, trying to lure people in. Where is our respect for the deceased veterans? If it weren't for them, we wouldn't have the freedom we have today. People can't observe one day for them? What a shame.
When I was growing up, stores were closed on Memorial Day, we had parades - and people went to churches, visited cemeteries and prayed. Some do today. Why can't all business places take just one day to show our great nation we have respect and also appreciation for our freedom?
Having served in the Pacific during World War II on the U.S.S. English, I'm one of the fortunate ones who came home safe and sound. It's in memory of those who didn't that I send this message. SUTTIE ECONOMY ROANOKE
LENGTH: Medium: 88 linesby CNB