Policy on errors in place at RMCH
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — A new policy that requires hospitals to tell patients
if they make a medical error won't have any effect on the running
of the Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital.
The reason, hospital officials say, is that they implemented the
new policy more than a year ago when the policy was first being
discussed.
"We thought it was such a good policy that we decided not
to wait until we were required to put it in place," Herb
Mosher, director of development for the hospital, said.
The policy, which took effect July 1, is being put in place, not
by federal or state law, but because of a desire by the organization
that accredits most hospitals the Joint Commission on Accreditation
of Healthcare Organizations to get hospitals to be more accountable
for the level of health care they provide.
In what is being viewed as one of the most sweeping changes in
recent years, the organization now mandates that every hospital
it accredits to implement a policy that will require health professionals
to inform patients if they make a mistake that has an adverse
medical effect.
For example, Mosher said, if a patient is given the wrong medicine
or a dosage that exceeds the limit desired by the physician, the
hospital must now tell the patient as soon as it is discovered
and then inform the patient what is being done to correct the
problem.
The new policy does not require any notification to the patient
of a mistake that doesn't cause any adverse effects, he added.
"Let's say that your chart says you are to get a vitamin
dosage at 9 a.m. but I was busy and didn't get around to it until
10 a.m., that would not be considered reportable since when you
got the dosage wouldn't matter," he said.
In the past, hospital personnel have been reluctant to tell patients
when an error has been committed because of the possibility that
the patient would sue the hospital. Human nature being what it
is, there is also a tendency for personnel to keep these mistakes
private to avoid disciplinary action.
But these attitudes are in the process of changing, Mosher said,
with hospitals like RMCH taking the approach that it's better
to know when a mistake has been made than it is to punish the
person making the mistake.
What is now happening in many cases, Mosher said, is that the
hospital is finding out that it's more the system and the way
things are done that causes the mistakes rather than any one individual.
Instead of trying to place blame on anyone, it's better to try
and change the system to reduce the chances of making the mistake
again.
Hospital officials, he said, take patient safety very seriously
and spend a lot of time trying to figure out ways to make improvements.
At RMCH, for example, hospital officials became concerned last
year about the number of people who fall at the hospital for one
reason or another.
So, for the past several months, the hospital has been tracking
all of the falls, requiring personnel to report every fall, what
caused it and what effect it had on the patient. A patient safety
committee will, in the next few months, study those reports and
Mosher said new policies will be put into effect to decrease the
risk.
"What we hope will be accomplished by the year-long study
is that the risk of falling is reduced to zero or at close to
zero as we can make it," he said.
As for the fear that open disclosure will increase lawsuits, Mosher
said he doesn't expect that to happen.
RMCH has had the new policy in effect for more than a year and
has not had any lawsuits, he pointed out.
In fact, when a Veterans Administration hospital in Louisiana
put this policy into effect several years ago, it found that it
saved money.
Before the policy was put into effect, the average settlement
or award was about $94,000. This decreased to about $15,000 after
the open disclosure policy was put into effect.
A grandson unhappy with the effects of the wrong medicine being
given his grandmother, for example, would settle for the lesser
amount because the grandson admitted that he probably would not
have known of the mistake if the hospital had not told him. This
proved to him, he said, that hospital officials really cared about
his grandmother's health and he didn't feel as much anger as he
would have if the hospital tried to cover up the mistake.
The bottom line, however, is that hospitals will have to implement
the new policy or face the possible of losing their accreditation.
If that happens, hospitals stand to lose millions of dollar annually
because they would not be able to get Medicare and Medicaid funds,
as well as other federal funds.
Mosher said that while it is still too soon to tell what kind
of effect the new policy will have on patient safety at RMCH,
he expects that in the next couple of years when studies are done
that these studies will show that medical errors have been reduced,
which benefits both the hospital as well as the patients.
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Johnson lobbies for tax cut of $72.5M
Dallas Moyer
Staff Writer
GALLUP — On his first stop to campaign for a $72.5 million tax
cut, Gov. Gary Johnson spoke before members of the Gallup Rotary Club
and others at the Holiday Inn on Wednesday.
The governor plans to make two more stops in his tour to push for
the two-year tax cut, which is Johnson's priority for the next legislative
session. This push follows his veto of a two-year tax relief plan
that included a $27 million income tax cut and about $32 million in
one-time tax rebates.
The Democrat's tax bill would have lowered the state tax rate for
the top bracket of the income scale, those making $50,000 or more.
Those making between $20,000 and $50,000 would have received a refund
check from the state.
"To me, that is not an income tax reduction," Johnson said.
"So I vetoed that bill."
Democrats oppose Johnson's tax cut proposal against the background
of New Mexico's current increase in oil and gas revenues. They say
these trends will last only so long and that the cut would put the
state into the red when prices begin to drop.
"We've been blessed with oil and gas revenues this year,"
Shiprock Democrat Rep. Ray Begaye said. "If prices go down the
next few years, we will be significantly impacted."
According to a press release by the state House of Representatives,
the Legislative Finance Committee believes the revenue high will last
only another year or two. The release said that the committee figured
there would be a $13.3 million loss for
every 10-cent decline in natural gas prices.
Johnson said the citizens of New Mexico deserve a tax cut because
there is a $500 million surplus in the state government coffers.
"Over the last six and a half years, there has not been a tax
raise in New Mexico," Johnson said. "But equally as significant,
we have not decreased taxes. We haven't decreased taxes even though
we have a surplus every single year."
Johnson said he felt $70 million out of a consistent surplus is not
a significant amount to cause financial problems. He said that New
Mexico will prosper if the Legislature lowers income taxes for all.
"We have been led to believe that taxes in New Mexico aren't
that bad," Johnson said. "That is not true. Taxes in New
Mexico are onerous and it is the reason we do not experience economic
growth beyond what we are experiencing."
Begaye said that Medicaid would take a $13 million cut if Johnson's
bill was passed. Johnson feels that the system is "more efficient"
since he took office due to the decreased numbers of state employees
working for the system and the increase in output.
As his top priority for his final legislative session, to what lengths
will Johnson go to get his tax cut? Last session he vetoed a capital
outlay bill worth $260 million in state projects.
Johnson said he would be willing to sign the same capital outlay bill
if the Legislature would pass a bill to reduce taxes for every person
who pays taxes, not just the upper classes.
Begaye said a compromise between Johnson and Democrats could be made
if all the factors are calculated into what the financial standing
of the state will be for the next two years.
"A compromise could be made when we have all the facts,"
Begaye said. "When that is done, we could agree upon a tax cut
appropriate to the current financial situation."
With Johnson using the capital outlay bill as leverage and the Democrats
not allowing Johnson to threaten them with a veto to persuade their
vote, such a compromise won't be easily forged.
Meanwhile, Johnson will continue his stumping for the tax cut on July
18 in Taos and on July 25 in Farmington.
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New police chief wants to build trust
Andrea Egger
Staff Writer
GALLUP — Police officers: Don't be worried about your jobs, as
long as they're performed properly. And community: Expect dependability
and credibility from your police department.
That was the attitude of Gallup's new police chief, Daniel L. Kneale,
52, during a telephone interview Wednesday from Onamia, Minn., where
he is tribal police chief for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe.
Kneale, who plans to start work here the first week of August, said
he plans to have an open-door policy with the public and plans to
be open with the press.
"You have to establish credibility and maintain credibility.
Once you lose that with the public, it's hard to get back," Kneale
said. "I'm not going to give you a shaded answer, even if I know
you're not going to like the answer."
He said he sees himself as an employee of the community, not the city
manager or the city council.
He also expects to have a positive working relationship with the current
staff at the police department. He doesn't expect to come in and make
broad changes.
Kneale plans to work with the police staff in their given roles. He
rarely gives anyone a demotion and if such a drastic step were warranted,
he wouldn't do so immediately, anyway.
"I give people ample time to come around," Kneale said.
He wants to make sure the average officer on the street knows that
he or she is the most important resource the department has.
"They will make a department either float or sink. If people
have a bad contact with an officer, they will have a bad idea of the
department," he said.
The fact that the department is a young one with a few senior officers
who are rapidly advancing on retirement is a plus to Kneale. Young
or new officers usually haven't developed bad habits yet and are the
most amenable to change.
He said if the street officers don't feel they are important, he hopes
to change their attitudes.
He also doesn't plan to swoop into Gallup and bring a lot of community
programs that work in other cities but might not work for Gallup.
A man who enjoys community policing, he plans to study the community
and bring in programs that will work for Gallup considering its crime
rate and needs.
"I want to build trust and a relationship with the community,"
Kneale said.
In order to do that, he said he needs to know what the community wants
and expects from its police department. He hopes he has a lot of help
from community members and from current police officers in determining
what those needs are.
"They've got nothing to fear," Kneale said of police officers.
"I'm not tyrannical, but I do demand that the job be done and
be done properly."
He believes mistakes are OK and even welcomed because officers can
learn from them.
"Even if you've failed, you've succeeded, because at least you've
tried," Kneale said.
Gallup Police Deputy Chief John Gonzales pointed out that in his 30-year
career, he has never seen a police chief selected who wasn't originally
from Gallup.
Gonzales, who was one of the chief candidates, said he hasn't met
Kneale yet. He hopes Kneale doesn't see Gallup as a career "stepping
stone," but instead builds a positive relationship with officers.
"When he gets here, I hope he likes the people and I hope he
likes the officers. I hope he's willing to work with them,"
Gonzales said.
Kneale, who has been a police chief at five departments across the
country in the last seven years, said he hopes to work in Gallup until
retirement.
"This is not a stepping stone but a stopping point," Kneale
said.
Kneale also expects to have an open-door policy with police officers.
If they point out a problem in the department, Kneale expects to help
find a solution.
He added anything anyone tells him in confidence will remain in confidence.
Kneale knows he will be working with a department that has recently
lost a police officer. Although City Manager David Ruiz didn't clue
him in on this, Kneale did his homework and knows that Cpl. Larry
Brian Mitchell was killed May 30 during a shootout with Gallup resident
Robert Kiro.
Kiro, 34, was indicted for capital murder, for which he can face the
death penalty, three counts of attempted murder, seven counts of aggravated
assault on a police officer and two counts of aggravated assault on
a police officer.
Kneale knows a lot of the officers are going through the grieving
process over the loss of an officer.
"I hope I can have a positive influence on that," he said.
"I'm not going to be intrusive."
He said he also plans to be accountable for officers' actions during
his watch.
"If we screwed up, I'll tell you we screwed up," Kneale
said.
Kneale also knows that Gallup is a community with a large amount of
driving while intoxicated incidents and fatalities due to DWI. He
said he has a zero tolerance policy on drunken driving.
He plans to step up bar checks and other preventive measures.
"We're not going to walk in as storm troopers but just to let
the public know we're around," he said.
Kneale plans to improve the Gallup Police Department, not demean its
employees.
"Every department I've left has been better since I came,"
he said.
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Pirates explode past Gallup Diamondbacks
James Staley
Staff Writer
GALLUP — The Grants Pirates and Las Cruces Cardinals rode their
explosive bats to blowout victories Wednesday afternoon during the
first two games of the Roberto Clemente Machine-Pitch state tournament
at Veteran's Memorial Complex.
In front of stands filled with screaming mothers and sun-blocking
umbrellas, the Pirates bombed the Gallup Diamondbacks 21-7 in the
late game and Las Cruces thrashed the Gallup Yankees 13-0 in the opener.
The Pirates and Cardinals will square off tonight at 6 p.m. while
the Diamondbacks and Yankees will play at 1 p.m.
Grants 21, Gallup Diamondbacks 7
Grants' offensive thunder boomed throughout the contest. Every Pirate
to step in the batter's box smacked at least one base hit. Catcher
Ryan Ramirez led the way with four hits (three singles, triple) and
one RBI. The trio of second baseman Lendon Chavez, third baseman Nash
Jaramillo and left fielder Bradley Dameron each pounded out three
hits and combined for eight RBIs.
The Pirate onslaught started in the top of the first inning as Grants
sent all nine players to the plate, scoring six runs with seven hits.
Six consecutive batters each notched a hit for the Pirates and batters
three through six on the lineup knocked in one run apiece.
Gallup attempted to rally in innings three and four. The Diamondbacks'
bats warmed and the team produced three runs. After the fourth inning
Gallup had trimmed Grants' lead to 7-3 and appeared to be back in
the game.
After a three-inning tranquillity spell, Grants erupted again, plating
14 runs in innings five and six. The Pirates sent the maximum nine
batters to the plate in the final two frames. A three-run, inside-the-park
home run by first baseman Eddie Gonzales in the sixth provided the
biggest chunk of runs.
Gallup managed six more runs but they were not enough to quiet the
Pirate storm. P.J. Gutierrez paced the Diamondbacks offense with three
hits. The short stop ripped a double and two singles. He also had
three RBIs.
The Pirates moved to 18-1 on the season and advanced to the second
round of the Clemente tournament. The Diamondbacks, city co-champions,
fell to 17-2 but is still alive in the double-elimination event.
Las Cruces 13, Gallup Yankees 0
The first game of the afternoon was just as bad for the Gallup squad
as the Las Cruces Cardinals bashed the baseball and shut out the Yankees
13-0.
Las Cruces sent every starter to face the pitching machine in inning
one. The Cardinals belted six hits, including three triples, and scored
six runs in the top of the first frame. Setting the tone, speedy short
stop Lucas Ogaz thumped a triple and scored the first run of the game
when second baseman Josh Watson singled. Fellow Cardinal infielders
Gabe Polanco and Tyler Gardner also hit triples in the first.
Cardinal left fielder Mike Chavez swatted a pair of triples and accounted
for three RBIs, leading Las Cruces batters. Ogaz and center fielder
Daniel Matthew joined Chavez with three hits. Matthew also had three
RBI's.
Yankee bats just could not produce like their Cardinal counterparts.
Gallup only managed three hits all singles. No Yankees player advanced
past second base. They could not hit the ball into the outfield air
and Las Cruces' vacuum infield stopped every grounder. Four Yankees
struck out.
The only Yankees to connect were third baseman Nars Baca and second
baseman Cody Scaggari. Baca smoked both of his singles to right-center
field and Scaggari dropped his single to center.
The Yankees dropped to 9-5 on the year and dropped into the loser's
bracket they could still win the double-elimination tournament. Las
Cruces improved to 25-1.
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Lawmakers to face Navajo town halls
Jim Maniac
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Ten Arizona state senators and representatives
will attend a pair of open houses in Window Rock and Kayenta next
week.
District 3 Rep. Sylvia Laughter will host both events, which are being
held during the Navajo Nation Council's quarterly session.
Laughter's first town hall will begin at 6 p.m. (Daylight Savings
Time) Tuesday in the Peterson Zah-Navajo Nation Museum, Library and
Visitors Center on Post Office Loop Road at Arizona Route 264 in Window
Rock.
The District 3 representative's second town hall will be from 1-4
p.m. (DST) Wednesday in the governing board room of the Kayenta Unified
School District at Monument Valley High School...
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Milan to discuss Tindall petitions
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
MILAN — It appears that the slow simmer in Milan could boil over
again when the board of trustees meets to discuss village
petitions seeking to get rid of code enforcement officer Ted Tindall.
The special meeting will be at 7 tonight.
Petitions have been circulating in Milan for several weeks. At the
last board of trustees meeting, Trustee Tom Ortega called for a special
meeting to clear the air, "once-and-for-all," about the
controversial Tindall. He said he was tired of his telephone "ringing
off the wall" about Tindall.
Petitions allegedly contain hundreds of names of individuals wanting
to see Tindall fired. That happened once when Mayor Elisabeth Lopez-Rael
terminated him, but then Tindall was reinstated by the trustees after
Village Manager David Jiron said he would not fire Tindall for "doing
his job..."
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Langley returns to defend title
Wild Thing Bullriding Championship
Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer
CHURCH ROCK — Defending Wild Thing champion Talmadge Langley
will be among the top bull riders that will be competing during
this weekend's 8th Annual Wild Thing Championship Bull Riding at
Red Rock State Park.
Langley scored a Red Rock State Park Arena record of 95 last year
in claiming the first place payoff of $5,000. Defending Indian National
Finals Rodeo world champion Jarvis Woody, former two-time Wild Thing
champion Daniel Muellar, former Professional Bull Riding World Finals
champion Ronnie Kitchens, and recent Navajo Nation 4th of July PRCA
champion Ryan Grandi, who scored a career high 88, will also be
competing for the top prize money.
Performances will be 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Organizer Larry Peterson this year's Wild Thing competition should
be just as wild and exciting as those in the past...
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Rockies only local team left
Michael Peretti
Staff Sports Writer
GALLUP — The Gallup Rockies are the only local team left in
the winner's bracket of the AABC New Mexico Roberto Clemente Pitching
Machine Baseball Tournament.
The Rockies jumped out early and held on for an 18-12 win over another
Gallup team, the Dodgers, at Veteran's Memorial Complex Wednesday.
The other three local teams in the tournament didn't fare as well
as the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Giants all lost their opening round
games.
In the evening session, the Espanola Diamondbacks advanced with
a 22-20 victory over the Giants...
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Cal-Mar/M.O.R.E. Basilio DiGregorio
Golf Tournament
Benefit tourney a success
Carrie Loretto
Sports Editor
GALLUP — There were no holes in one at the Gallup Municipal
Golf Course Wednesday, but that didn't keep the Cal-Mar/M.O.R.E.
Basilio DiGregorio Memorial Tournament from being a success.
"This is one of the best tournaments in Gallup and it's for
a great cause," Tom Pino, who recently hit a hole-in-one, said
of the benefit tourney that raises money for the mentally handicapped
group.
The three-man, best-ball scramble has grown so huge that entrants
had to be turned away Joe DiGregorio told the crowd assembled at
the K.C. Hall for the awards ceremony. The field had to be whittled
from 187 golfers to 162 and included celebrities ranging from local
D.J. Bill Lee to former Cowboys football player Preston Dennard.
The assigned team of Obit Cayedito, Bobby Silva and Larry Roth combined
for the day's top performance. The trio shot the day's low gross
of 58 to top the 54-team field. They finished with a 53.6 net after
their 5.4 average handicap was deducted from their best-ball combined
round...
Police probe motive behind Navajo
teen's death
CORTEZ, Colo. (AP) — Tips called in to police suggest the New
Mexico teen accused of killing an openly gay Navajo youth may have
been motivated by the victim's homosexuality.
A tipster told investigators that Shaun Murphy, 18, had bragged
that "he had beat up a fag," according to police affidavits
released Wednesday.
Investigators said they also learned that Murphy and the 16-year-old
victim attended the same party on June 16, the last day Martinez
was seen by his family.
Fred C. Martinez's bludgeoned body was found June 21 near Cortez.
Murphy, of Farmington, N.M., is charged with second-degree murder...
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Deaths
Suzanne Harrer Breen
CHICAGO Services for Suzanne Breen, 88, will be held at 10 a.m. Friday,
July 20, at the Immaculate Conception Church. Burial will follow at
Elmhurst, Ill.
A memorial Mass will be held at 8 a.m. Monday, July 16, at Sacred
Heart Cathedral.
Breen died July 4 in Chicago. She was born Jan. 22, 1913, in New York
City.
Breen attended Russell Sage College and Rosary College, where she
received a master's degree in library science. She helped found a
library in Midwest College of Engineering, Lombard, Ill. She was a
Girl Scout leader and a piano teacher.
Breen was a member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers, Mayflower
Society, Daughters of the American Revolution and Jewett Family of
America.
Survivors include her daughters, Lora Lavin of Swarthmore, Pa., Nancy
Baun of Chicago and Betty Tuttle of Gallup; five grandchildren and
two great-grandchildren.
Breen was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph M. Harrer, and
parents, Ferdinand J. and Lora Phelps Litter.
Donations may be made to St. Anthony's Indian Mission, P.O. Box 486,
Zuni, N.M. 87327.
George Atene Begaye Jr.
KAYENTA, Ariz. — Services for George Begaye Jr., 34, will be
held at 10 a.m. Friday, July 13, at Bible Church, Kayenta. Pastor
Irvism Joneswill officiate. Burial will be held at Kayenta Community
Cemetery.
Begaye died July 13 in Table Mesa. He was born Dec. 30, 1966, in Montezuma
Valley, Utah.
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