Opinion

Dear members of the Board of Northshore Health, Before I begin, I want to make several things clear. I have no hidden agenda. My quite open agenda is transparency, fairness, and justice. Second, I make no claim to knowledge of the entire circumstances. Although I have not memorized the bylaws, I do have an extensive working knowledge of the process of peer review as it was done while I was medical director and on active staff. Finally, I have no animosity toward members of the board, administration, or Kimber in particular. Indeed, I have a long history of a positive working relationship with both board and administration.

During times of conflict it is natural for people to take sides, justify their position and blame the other side. When applied to a group or organization this is called “blame culture”. This is the situation in which we find ourselves regarding the current NSH issues. This culture of blame may be natural, but it is not healthy, and it is not helpful. I believe all parties involved, NSH Board, Administration, employees, the physicians, and the community members who have spoken out, all honestly want the best possible medical care for the county, its residents, and visitors. A culture of blame is not the way to achieve this. Fortunately, there is an alternative.

When I was younger, my grandmother told everyone her birthday was February 29th. It was not. It was February 28th, but she always wished it were on that special date on the calendar. Probably because she was special, and wanted the extra attention it came with.