quote:
Originally posted by Beachboy
quote:
The State of Hawaii used to make it a requirement that you be a resident of Hawaii to be eligible for a State job. Now that anyone can apply, many State jobs have been given to Out of State residents, thus taking away jobs from local residents. Many of them end up on the beach.
Huh!?!%#@ State jobs given out of state folks? Wow, that news to me. Can you give me an example please "D"....
Chapter 14-3.01-4
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Actually, the article doesn't say exactly who the "exodus" is comprised of. We do have a fairly large percentage of folks who move to "Paradise" to find out it just ain't so and then move back to the mainland within a couple years. When times get tight, a lot of them who would be moving back eventually just speed up their exit.
A lot of the kids here, when they go off island to look for work they go as far as Oahu but not off to the mainland. If you have family or any other sort of hui then getting by is much more manageable so those probably aren't a large percentage of the exodus.
I also suspect our unemployment rates are considerably lower than the mainland because a lot of folks go to the mainland to fill out the unemployment papers. They can't afford to live here, get laid off, go to the mainland while they still have enough money (the return of the deposit on their apartment comes to mind) and then file for unemployment from there which would artificially keep our unemployment figures low.
"I like yard sales," he said. "All true survivalists like yard sales."
Kurt Wilson
I don't want to minimize the problem of high cost of living and housing and low availability of services. But I do want to note that many island residents LOVE Vegas and aren't moving to a place they hate. There's a large community already there ...
I don't exactly understand the appeal, because I can't stand the place, but I've seen enough faces light up here talking about Vegas to know it's real. Trading up ... sell your not so great house to the people from LA who care about the ocean view and get a great house in Vegas.
There are many people in a tight spot though, with not much hope.
I'm considering leaving myself. The medical situation scares me. If I ever do get really sick, I don't want to go to Hilo Hospital, and I can't afford to live in Waimea where they have a decent facility.
Also, the low educational level of the general population is starting to get to me. This is tough for me to admit, because I love the friendly spirit here, but having come from places where even the clerk at the music store probably has a BA or better ... I miss the mental stimulation ... or I need a good book club, lol. Punaweb helps.
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Kathy H
My husband ended up at Hilo hospital for a week with a serious case of MERSA last fall. This was the second life threatening staph infection he has had and the care he received at Hilo hospital was superior in every way to the care he got at a highly rated hospital on the mainland! I was prepared for the worst after all the bad mouthing I'd heard, but every staff member from the orderlies to the nurses to the surgeon was professional, well trained and very caring. The kitchen even accommodated his his vegan diet! So don't let Hilo hospital chase you away.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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It is sad that many locals have to move to the mainland.
Always do what evers next.
quote:
Originally posted by csgray
...So don't let Hilo hospital chase you away.
The Hilo Hospital scares the heck out of me!
I've personally waited in the Emergency Room for over 2 hours before a doctor could see me!
Then we hear about cases like This where the doctor had implanted a screwdriver in a patient's spine during an operation.
Then we hear of stories like This one that went national!
a body left in the hospital morgue for more than two years, saying the stench from the decomposing remains is causing a psychological hazard for the staff.
In just the last two months, I have had relatives from the Big Island have to leave the island and fly to Oahu for Medical Treatment.
Hilo's Hospital sucks!
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I can only share my own experience...I went to the ER at Hilo Hospital last summer, and received excellent treatment. Besides the quality of care, from the time it took me to walk in the door to the time I left the facility was 55 minutes. It took almost that long to fill the prescription at the local drugstore.
Anecdotal horror stories like the ones you posted, Damon, can be found pretty much everywhere. Just like there are a few bad cops, bad firefighters, bad teachers, etc., there are a few doctors in most communities who shouldn't have a license to practise medicine, and the one in your first link isn't even there anymore.
Before I passed judgement on Hilo Hospital or any other facility, I'd want to look at some numbers, or look at a reference from an independant rating agency, like this one: <edit> Link deleted 'cuz it sucks, and fooled me into thinking it was independant. <edit> There are many other similar rating agencies, and there are statistical reports out there which can be Googled up, too.
I haven't done a thorough review of all possible forms of information, but based on the care that I received, the remodel construction that I saw (indicating funding and a commitment from management), the accreditation that they have, and the review of the above-mentioned website, I'd say Hilo Hospital is okay to pretty good. They have an above-average rating for the care of heart failure, but below-standard for the care of pneumonia, for example. I'm sure that the quality of care you receive depends on time of day, day of the week, what your ailment is, which doctor is on call for that ailment, etc.
I'm glad I'm not a hospital administrator. ;-)
Aloha! ;-)
Aloha! ;-)
quote:
Originally posted by mgeary
........ They have an above-average rating for the care of heart failure.....
Huh????
Currently, only two cardiologists serve Hilo's population of 41,000 and neither can perform angiograms to detect blocked or damaged arteries on the Big Island because of a lack of equipment and facilities.
Both doctors and patients have to fly to Oahu for the procedure, which critics say is costly, time-consuming and life-threatening in cases of emergency.
Hilo Medical Center spokeswoman Elena Cabatu told PBN that the cardiac unit is "very much still in the infancy stages" and the hospital has yet to draft definitive plans for the type and scope of cardiac services to be offered.
According to This July Report
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Just passing along what I read in the report referenced above. The report indicated above average quality care for "heart failure". They didn't speak about angiograms, but may have been referring to Congestive Heart Failure (CHF). My mom (here on the mainland) has CHF, and has never had an angiogram for that condition.
Don't know, not gonna debate, I'm just saying that I don't base my opinions of medical facilities based on an anecdotal horror story. Or two or three.
I'm sure that with a small town like Hilo smack dab in the center of the Pacific, I certainly wouldn't expect Henry-Mayo or UCLA Medical Center to open up a branch facility there. But like I said above, my one and only experience with Hilo Hospital was positive.
Aloha! ;-)
Aloha! ;-)
Mgeary - The hospital pays to be listed on that site and provided the information themselves.
From the FAQs on that site
The Joint Commission may use your information for market research. You may opt out of being added to third party information distribution lists, and continue to appear in the Quality Check directory by selecting “Do not add me to other Joint Commission lists” on your profile Confirmation page.
And on the front page it states:
The Joint Commission makes no representations or guarantees concerning the accuracy of the information about any non-Joint Commission accredited organization listed on this site.
I myself would take your personal opinion over a site like this.[^]
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