Richard Elías
will be missed
I was stunned and greatly saddened to learn of the sudden and unexpected death of my friend Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías. Richard was a superb example of what a political leader should be: smart, compassionate, knowledgeable and wise. He cared deeply about our unique Sonoran Desert and sky islands. He cared about people, all people. He wanted all children to be able to get a good education; he wanted social justice for everyone.
He cared about the future. He worked hard to ensure that Pima County will be a place our children and grandchildren will want to live. He will be greatly missed. Que en paz descanse (rest in peace).
Gayle Hartmann
Midtown
Appreciating positive
People are also reading…
news in sports
Re: the March 27 article “UA women’s basketball squad is a true, giving team.”
Thank you to the Daily Star for your continuing coverage of the Wildcats Women’s Basketball team on their recently completed season and kudos to Ms. Nina Trasoff’s insightful article on her up-close-and-personal relationship with the team. In trepidation, now we sit in our homes practicing our social distancing and watching the onslaught of the pandemic to our local and national communities. It was a welcome respite to read about our “Sheroes” led by coach Adia Barnes and the rest of the team in a very special way. It was just what the doctor ordered (pun definitely intended.)
Bruce Andersen
SaddleBrooke
Thanks to hospitals
for helping patients
In the current COVID-19 pandemic, we honor health-care workers and hospitals who so professionally prepare and respond. This compels me to write this letter.
On Feb. 5, the Daily Star published my guest editorial, “Patient-centered approach delivers better outcomes.” It documented low average patient experience scores among the six general adult medical and surgical hospitals in Tucson zip codes.
One responded with an invitation for a face-to-face meeting. On March 10, I met with Jennifer Schomburg, CEO of Northwest Medical Center, and Veronica Apodaca, system director of marketing at Northwest Healthcare. They described new initiatives: a new Patient Family Advisory Council that had met 10 times and identified two priorities: training for health-care staff to improve communication and a “quiet night” program to address a common patient complaint.
They took my list of bullet points, promising further attention. They let me know that I and their patients had been heard. Of course, Northwest had the highest initial ratings on patient experience of the six hospitals. Kudos.
Beatrice Krauss
Foothills
Thanks for dropping the paywall, Daily Star
I am writing in response to the Tucson Daily Star’s reporting of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a graduate student in the UA Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, I greatly appreciate the factual coverage provided in your articles.
Allowing all pandemic-related coverage to be free to access and attempting to minimize fear through providing real information has undoubtedly helped the citizens of Tucson better understand this worrying and new situation. The live updating article titled “Tucson area Coronavirus updates” provides us all with up-to-date and important goings-on across not just Tucson or Arizona, but the world.
Demetri Vlachos
North side
Faith was fed
in Star Sunday edition
In the Sunday paper, I can’t go to my church and so I read the “Keeping the Faith” page and wow! Pastor Glen Elliot’s piece, “Feed your faith to starve your fear in troubled times,” is a real keeper! Everybody, get yourself a “gratitude chair” in your backyard and “feed your faith.”
And remember the words to my favorite hymn in my own St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, “I will get through this time, for I’m not alone!” Or sing: “reach out and touch somebody’s hand ... make this a better world and you can!”
Bobbie Guillory
East side
Case numbers
for COVID-19 are wrong
I live with my two toddlers, age 1 and 3. Their dad was confirmed positive March 26. Since then, I have tried to get us tested because I have symptoms, minus a fever, and my children have a cough.
Two urgent care Banner locations turned us away.
One said they only tested medical staff, the other said that because I didn’t have an active fever, despite other symptoms and being in close contact with a positive person, we couldn’t be tested.
The next day, we went to the TMC ER, they admitted us, went over symptoms, told me to assume we’re all positive, quarantine for 14 days, but they still would not test us. So many more people have symptoms and aren’t able to get tested.
Yet I see these numbers in the news everyday, “updates” that are completely false. My kids’ dad lives with his girlfriend. She’s been denied testing, too. That makes 1 out of 5 people able to test, and we’re to assume we’re all positive. The numbers being reported are so wrong.
Amber Abernathy
East side
College party shows
inconsiderate behavior
As I write this there is a big party across the street at a student off campus mini dorm. Loud music of course, but my main concern is so many people being in such proximity, drinking and ignoring the safety protocols designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Having been their age once, I understand their feeling of invulnerability, but if just one of them is unknowingly infected... you know the rest. The university and the managers of this housing need to address the issue immediately.
Robert Scanlon
Downtown
We should create a strategic medical reserve
I read recently that the federal government is adding tens of millions of barrels of oil to the strategic oil reserve in Texas and Louisiana. The 33 billion gallon oil reserve was created in the 1970s when dependence on oil was a major concern for the nation, as it still is.
With the coronavirus upheaval, perhaps the United States should now consider creating a strategic medical reserve consisting of durable medical equipment like hospital beds and ventilators that can be stored and administered by each state’s National Guard.
This medical reserve could be developed using the Mobile Army Surgical Hospital model developed at the end of World War II and used in subsequent conflicts.
In order to stock the reserve, good jobs would be created and our country would be on a much better footing when the next pandemic or national disaster occurs.
Let’s be better prepared.
Peter Bakke
Northwest side
