How Much...

...Can disbanding the Gracedale Wound Care Team save?

We're talking about a team of highly specialized professionals - four full-time and two part-time nurses who deal in the most serious wounds, including bed sores and surgical wounds.

For the sake of discussion - if we save 100,000.00 by disbanding, but, pay 150,000.00 by sending residents out for care...are we really saving money - or are really losing money?

So let's ask a few important questions...like:

• How much can we possibly save?
• Will resident care improve by disbanding the team, or suffer?
• Will we send residents out for treatment more often?
• If so, how much will that cost Gracedale?

Just a few questions for now that we feel need to be answered and substantiated before We The People can feel comfortable with a decision to follow through on this matter.

What do we know about the GWCT? We know that wound-care nurses focus only on their specialty, going floor-by-floor doing the more severe treatments. We know that there is centralization of data relating to the care provided on wounds, which if  disbanding the team occurs, will become de-centralized, scattering the data among many. This factor alone, in our opinion, can only reduce the care levels to such low degrees that the door will blow itself wide open to litigation for mistreatment. Is that really what we want for Gracedale? 

Consider wound VAC treatment,  in such treatment cases nurses fit a medical sponge into a wound. A tube is then attached to a vacuum-type machine that drains the fluids. This is said to be an art that not just anyone can command.

County Executive John Stoffa has demonstrated by his actions, or lack of action...that if this decision turns out to be a mistake - oh well, no big deal...he really doesn't care...but We The People do care, and because we care, we are compelled to speak up for those that cannot.

No one in our local government can say with honesty that We The People are just blowing hot air, not after our dedicated involvement with local government over the last five years. Our involvement is genuine, sincere, and true to the cause of protecting the future of our County gem - Gracedale.

Any decision relating to (especially) Gracedale, We The People will be paying close attention to. After all, isn't civilian involvement and engagement what many governing bodies wish they had more of?

With two exceptions - We The People stand behind our current County Council governing body. We implore you to introduce a resolution that will prevent the dismantling of this much needed team at Gracedale. PLEASE...remember that we supported you because we believed that you would represent us...and we believed that because you told us you would. We TRUST you to do the right thing, not just for us...but more importantly, for the residents of Gracedale.