for Monday February 21st ....Presidents Day

Picture taken yesterday, a patient and her friend smoking near our home. The patient is in her hospital gown.

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Yesterday I said I would suggest one solution to hospital smoking: Have a smoking area in the center of the hospital area. Make it nice and weather free. Have the stop smoking vendors pay for it like Nicoderm, etc. Don't make the smokers feel subject to embarrassment while they are put on public stage, in their gowns, their gurneys, and pushing their IV carts.

Outlawing something does not have good record of preventing total abuse such as pot, liquor in the prohibition, gambling, prostitution, etc. I think continuing education is a better answer. Hospitals are in the healing business. Healing and education is a better answer than prohibiting smoking in your backyard, and exporting your problem to the neighborhood.

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Another answer: Pass on the extra costs of treating smoking diseases to the smoker and his HMO.

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It is Monday. One truck is out on the street. Another one off the street. See 2nd truck on the far right and in picture below).

Why not why not keep the big freight trucks off J St. all the time with the hospital delivery trucks and busses, unloading at the front entrance or the rear loading dock? It all seems arbitrary. Most delivery vehicles are too wide for the loading dock area on J St.

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Mercy Hospital neighborhood meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) at their basement auditorium, 5:30 to 6:30pm.

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Last Friday afternoon I received a hand delivered 2 page letter from Mercy. I will post this letter in it's entirety and answer the points raised. Mercy has accused Joanie and myself of harassment. We usually think of our selves as being subject by Mercy to harassment from early in the morning when the first truck starts unloading till 9pm until the busses stop send exhaust out way.