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PETITION re: New Policies and Operational Changes at UNC Hospitals
Erskine Bowles, President
General Administration
The University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
We the undersigned, residents of Orange and adjacent counties, are concerned about new policies and operational changes recently enacted within the UNC Health Care System. In signing this petition we are particularly mindful of the plaque placed on the wall when the main hospital was dedicated on 23 September 1952: “Operated for and by the people of North Carolina.”
Generally, we are concerned that:
1) UNC Hospitals increasingly works on a fee-for-service basis with an excessive profit margin;
2) The commitment of UNC Hospitals to the people of North Carolina is increasingly disregarded; and
3) Those without health insurance in North Carolina face increasing difficulty in accessing the UNC Health Care System.
More specifically, we are concerned that:
1) In practice, access to sub-specialty clinics is denied to many. Commendably, thereis a schedule of reduced fees available to those without health insurance. In order to make an appointment in these clinics, however, a patient must make the co-pay in advance. Many of the uninsured do not have the means to meet the required up-front payment, and as a consequence are effectively prevented from making an appointment—and from receiving treatment.
2) Many, discouraged by the difficulty of receiving early treatment, wait until the problem worsens to the point where they must be treated in the Emergency Room, the most expensive way to deliver health care.
3) During 2005 several hundreds of patients were taken to court by UNC Hospitals over bills they were unable to pay. In such cases use of the courts to secure payment for services is not only inhumane, but also counterproductive. Certainly it is contrary to the intention for UNC Hospitals when it was founded.
4) The geriatric unit serving frail elders is no longer adequately staffed by professionals trained in geriatrics. Many team members have left, especially social workers and nurses. The unit does not function as it was envisioned.
5) Serious deficiencies have developed in discharge planning. The personnel, often new and inadequately trained, are not fully familiar with community resources. Furthermore, their plans frequently do not involve the patient and his/her family members.
6) The Emergency Room is a worsening nightmare, especially for the elderly with dementia or severe pain. The turmoil, long waits, and overworked staff present formidable challenges.
7) As a result of losing many employees and of management’s sometimes unreasonable expectations, morale of the staff has declined to a worrisome level. Feelings of low self-esteem experienced by employees reduce their productivity.
Nonprofit hospitals throughout the United States are subject to similar criticism, as evidenced by a recent article in The New York Times with the headline, “Nonprofit Hospitals Face Scrutiny Over Practices.” It begins with this statement:
Congressional leaders, concerned that many nonprofit hospitals are not providing enough charity care to justify their tax-exempt status, say they will set standards for the industry if it does not do so itself. (19 March 2006, page 14)
We think that the state-subsidized and supposedly nonprofit UNC Hospitals, with its mandate to serve the people of North Carolina, should lead in this reform effort. Therefore we urge that you give these matters your early attention.
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Petition is sponsored by The Coalition for Continuity of Care for the Geriatric Community, Florence Gray Soltys, Chair.
301 Pittsboro Street CB#3550
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550 |
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