Readers hold forth on placing nurses, retirees’ well being care and youngsters with weapons

Glendale: Three years because the unparalleled and immense appreciation of nurses throughout America, 7,000 nurses have resorted to happening strike right here at native hospitals. A lot will be realized in these fashionable instances about how rapidly anybody in any business can fall from grace.

Behind the scenes in most hospitals because the outbreak of the pandemic, administrations have been hard-pressed to take care of the workers wanted to take care of the sick and injured. Whereas the narrative in current days focuses on nurses reacting in what many might really feel is unorthodox and even unacceptable methods, there’s possible extra to the story than is being reported.

Throughout the worst days of the pandemic, hospitals have been overrun by sufferers dying at alarming charges. Steadfast and devoted, nurses prevailed and have been applauded for his or her efforts by this perilous interval in our metropolis’s historical past. Now getting into the third 12 months because the outbreak, hospital staffs have been decimated to the purpose of disaster. The ratios of nurses to sufferers place each side of nursing in danger and finally create an exhausting and debilitating technique of care. The administrations, in the meantime — top-heavy administration faraway from every day care — level fingers searching for blame. Like many companies view individuals, sufferers are thought of collateral injury.

This exploitation can’t be ignored. Hospitals will not be department shops. Administration makes up the best degree of salaries. They have been fast to applaud the unprecedented actions of nursing workers when the world was falling aside. Now, when issues are discovering some semblance of steadiness, these homeowners of our well being care amenities are crying poverty. If nurses will be taken with no consideration, we as a society have misplaced our ethical compass. Jonathan Kiddrane

Howard Seaside: I hope the placing nurses at Mount Sinai are in a position to attain a swift settlement. I’ve been a most cancers affected person there for the previous three years. I do know from private expertise that they’re essentially the most caring and compassionate medical professionals you can ask for. I used to be hospitalized a number of instances once they have been working with minimal staffing and by no means heard a phrase of criticism. They all the time took the time to clarify procedures to me and even simply reassure me. They deserve extra assist! Michael Groneman

Glendale: I used to be educated as a ballot employee in June and labored the election in August. It’s January and I’m nonetheless ready for cost. I wrote three letters and known as greater than 30 instances. On Dec. 5, I spoke to somebody who mentioned she would assist however she hasn’t. I left her many messages, however she received’t return my calls. On Tuesday, I used to be instructed she would e mail an handle to make use of, however she didn’t. All I would like is an affidavit, however it seems nobody on the Queens Board of Elections cares. Arlene Bartholomew

Douglaston: Bravo, Every day Information, for placing retirees on web page 2 of Tuesday’s paper (“Indignant retirees pack Council meet on Adams’ well being plan,” Jan. 10)! Simply once I was dropping hope, you gave it again to me in your reporting on the assembly the place Medicare “Drawback” was soundly slapped down by retirees and the Metropolis Council. Simply when the Editorial Board of The Information as soon as extra supported this horrible plan, the Every day Information stepped up and reported on the retirees who angrily protested the plan on the listening to on Monday and the Council members who supported them. This exhibits actual respect on your readers and nice equity in your reporting. Thanks for all of the continued protection and the letters that you’ve got printed in Voice of the Individuals. The letters of so many retirees and different Voicers opposing the Medicare Benefit plan which were printed have stored our voices heard. Gail Richards

Forest Hills: I’m an NYC retiree and I’m furious that my beloved Every day Information selected to make mild of the struggle we retirees are in to save lots of our well being advantages within the “Advancing the Benefit” editorial (Jan. 8). For starters, referring to our pushing again on town’s effort to strip us of our conventional Medicare as “insinuations and scattered anecdotes” is past insulting and patently unfaithful. An investigation of Medicare Benefit plans by the federal Well being and Human Companies Division’s Inspector Basic’s Workplace revealed “85,000 beneficiary requests for prior authorization of medical care have been probably improperly denied in 2019.″ The NYC Group of Public Service Retirees has already recognized $300 million in well being care financial savings town can receive, however the mayor has refused to kind a blue-ribbon panel to research. A “scattered anecdote”: In 2022, I used to be seen by eight completely different physicians in 34 separate visits and never a single one accepted the commonest MAPs. J.M. Culley

Yonkers: One approach to finish the controversy over the retirees’ medical plan is to require that the mayor, his workers and all Metropolis Council members be enrolled in the identical plan. I want to see if anybody helps it then. John Martineck

Morris Plains, N.J.: To Diane Sanders Hombach: You might be 1 million p.c right. I ran worker advantages for a big insurance coverage firm. Our medical plans monetarily inspired workers to get their annual physicals and cope with their medical points or potential points. One of the simplest ways potential to decrease premiums is to have fewer pointless claims. Joe Tierney

Rochdale Village: Voicer Douglas Gladstone rightly mentioned former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Tom Browning, who pitched an ideal sport, stands to get $245,000 from the brand new collective bargaining settlement. Sadly, he can’t spend it, as he handed away on Dec. 19. Saul Rothenberg

Forest Hills: With all the problems within the housing market, it’s reassuring that the Jets have at the very least been in a position to safe a long-term lease on final place within the AFC East. Alan Hirschberg

Richmond Hill: How is it that I get 50 requests from each charity beneath the solar each month and the millionaires of the world can’t purchase yachts sufficiently big for themselves? If we may get a dozen of those Daddy Warbucks’ collectively in a superb temper, they every may choose a illness to remedy. World starvation might be break up between two or three. Robert Clolery

Monroe, N.J.: I knew somebody would carry Donald Trump into the Brazil protests. The winner is Sen. Bob Menendez. He says Trump continues to poison the Western Hemisphere. Give it a relaxation, these feedback make you appear like an fool. John Ray

Scranton, Pa.: What if the trainer who was not too long ago shot by her 6-year-old pupil in Virginia (”Va. trainer was shot midlesson, police massive says,” Jan. 10) had been armed, as many are in favor of academics packing warmth of their lecture rooms? I suppose the unlucky final result would have been the identical, though the trainer is fortunately recovering. However possibly the incident may have been averted if the opposite college students have been carrying as nicely, as a result of, you recognize, the one factor that may cease a naughty 6-year-old with a gun is an efficient 6-year-old with a gun. Vin Morabito

Bronx: Excessive fuel costs are a world downside, not simply an American one. Listed below are some international fuel costs from Might 2022: Hong Kong, $10.97; Norway, $9.64; Denmark, $9.22; Finland, $8.89; Iceland, $8.76; Greece, $8.70; the Netherlands, $8.58; and Singapore, $8.39. The worth within the U.S. was $4.59. Do your due diligence. President Biden is to not blame for prime fuel costs. America is likely one of the highest producers of oil and American oil corporations will not be going to cut back their costs. The truth is, they’re benefiting from the disaster. Gilbert M. Lane

Rye Brook, N.Y.: To Voicer Nick Smith: If the Arabs had not began wars in December 1947 and Might 1948, there wouldn’t have been a single Arab refugee. The Arab deaths within the 1948-49 conflict, about 10,000, weren’t Palestinians however invading Arab troopers from outdoors international locations. About 7,000 Jews died. My in depth readings in regards to the preventing point out just one Arab management declare of Jews massacring Palestinian civilians, in Deir Yassin. This declare was mentioned to be false by Arab students. There have been about 820,000 Jewish refugees pushed out of Arab international locations. Demes Poulos