Category: Editorials

With the 2016 Rio Olympics coming to a close, we honor four participants claimed by the Santa Clarita Valley as their own:  Allyson Felix, Anthony Ervin, Abbey Weitzeil, and David … Continue Reading →

Born in Canada, our mother came to the United States after World War II and blended into the Greatest Generation.  Raising a family in the second half of the 20th … Continue Reading →

Growing up in a family that emphasized education, I had trouble staying on mark as I wanted to be a baseball player.  At the age of 11 though, I underwent … Continue Reading →

Most primary care physicians (PCPs) who admit patients to a hospital are family practitioners or internists.  Since medicine becomes more complex each day, PCPs must remain up-to-date on the latest … Continue Reading →

Hospitals are sacrosanct pillars of a community with alabaster halls and sterile rooms where saving lives and curing disease emanates.  But fifteen years ago some floundered in bankruptcy, and that’s … Continue Reading →

A Purple Heart was displayed next to his bed so I knew he was a veteran.  Our only contact though was tossing bean-bags during activities at his Board & Care … Continue Reading →

You have a persistent cough and poor appetite, but for six months your doctor has prescribed an assortment of antibiotics after an initial chest x-ray showed a small pneumonia.  Finally, … Continue Reading →

Hospitals serve to provide a buffer between life and death, and are a last resort when one is ill or suffers trauma. They are perceived as towering buildings with sanitized … Continue Reading →

On occasion, I feel compelled to put in my two cents at Santa Clarita City Council meetings.  Recently there was a five hour meeting whether the city should subsidize the … Continue Reading →

A family matriarch is seriously ill and has been admitted to an Intensive Care Unit. Loved ones are by her side, but she is lucid, understands her medical condition, and … Continue Reading →

Many nations proudly tout “Life Expectancy” as a reflection of healthcare. In our country, this statistic has continually edged upward due to expanding technology, doctors/patient education, and vibrant emphasis on … Continue Reading →

Five years ago, I was elected to physician leadership on the Medical Executive Committee (MEC) at Henry Mayo Hospital and last week was my final meeting as a member. I … Continue Reading →

Two decades ago, I admitted a patient to the Intensive Care Unit for a heart attack.  His children were grown, and he looked forward to retirement purchasing an RV to … Continue Reading →

Dear Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital Board of Directors: You have a duty to residents of the Santa Clarita Valley to ensure worthy hospital medical care is rendered should an individual … Continue Reading →

Fifty years ago this month, the Watts riots began.  Three years ago, I wrote how the community where I grew up rose from the ashes excelling athletically, allowing some of us to … Continue Reading →

Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital (HMNH) is being sued.  This is not unexpected news as it is a health care facility caring for ill patients where expectations are high, and outcomes … Continue Reading →

Draping a shroud of 30’s Depression on any dust bowl child can thicken the skin, so my 88 year old patient learned to be fiercely independent with a “talk to … Continue Reading →

Once the 2008 economic spiral began and unemployment escalated with wallets and purses zipped closed, causes were not initially recognized. Since then, the causal details of this downturn were ferreted … Continue Reading →

Most of us sense frustration as we try to decipher our complex healthcare system. Yet this intentional confusion, forcing patients and families toward medical and economic peril, is fostered by … Continue Reading →