Letters for Feb. 19, 2022

Kudos to Holy Family Hospital

A month ago a family member fell and broke her hip. I was really worried about her getting care, with so much news about overfilled, understaffed hospitals and delays in treatment due to COVID. But when she was taken to Holy Family ER, they were wonderful. Everyone, from the clerical staff who directed me to her location, to the nursing and assistant staff (bless the aid who said, “You look tired; let me get you a chair”), the ER doc who admitted her, her surgeon and the nursing staff who had her post-op the following day, the staff on the third floor where she recovered, dietitian, social work … everyone who had a hand in her care was kind and respectful to both of us. And they found a rehab facility close to us when she was ready for discharge.

I am sure I was a huge nuisance calling every day for an update, but every one of the staff on the third floor was quick to respond and let me know how she was doing and give encouragement.

With so much stress on our caregiving professionals, I really want to emphasize how much we appreciate all that was done by the staff at Holy Family.

Pam Beasley

Spokane

Just fact-checking

I am an elderly person. I received all three COVID vaccines, I am not in lockup, nor am I dead. I have many questions of Rob Leach (Letter Feb. 16) but will start with just one.

He states: “politicians, who forced COVID patients into nursing homes, killing thousands of our most vulnerable” have not been held accountable. Rob, who are the politicians who did the forcing? And which nursing homes killed thousands?

Oh, and I would also like to learn of individuals whose “lives were permanently ruined.”

Janet Callen

Coeur d’Alene

Self-inflicted housing crisis

“No affordable housing” is not entirely true. There’s just very little affordable housing here.

My wife ended up with a house in Waterville, Kansas, that we couldn’t give away. After five years, the county took it for back taxes owed. Even Habitat didn’t want it. My late father-in-law gutted it before he passed. Paid under $20,000 for it. My old 1980s stamping grounds of south-central Oklahoma still have homes under $100,000.

McLain, Garvin, Murray and Carter counties on Interstate 35 between Oklahoma City and Dallas no less. Google it.

Could it be our “everything’s gotta be perfect expectations” is actually the crisis? I bought half a dozen cash-only dumpy homes in Spokane County between 2014 and ’18, all $80k or less. Not mortgage worthy?

Why didn’t government mortgage borrowers drive those prices up, I wonder?

Mike Reno

Spokane

Commissioner Kim Thorburn

Thank you for the guest opinion from Kim Thorburn on Feb. 3 (“Following existing laws would fix Fish and Wildlife Commission”).

What is wrong with the WDFW commission? Many might say the problems can be found by looking at some of Thorburn’s ideas and how she chooses to express them. This letter is another example of how divisive and disruptive her behavior can be. The three new commissioners were hardly seated before she started attacking them as well as everyone else who might not agree with her. One of her tactics is labeling people she sees as a threat as “animal rights believers” or “extremists.” This is unacceptable, especially from a commissioner. Recent commission appointments are well-respected and highly qualified.

It’s interesting that she says our state’s fish and wildlife belong to all citizens and that the commission’s mandate is to manage these for all citizens, yet she cannot grasp the concept that commissioners should represent all citizens. As a commissioner, she usually listens to and represents only one small group. How extreme her own thinking can be was evident when she cast the only vote in favor of “hunting contests,” something many hunters oppose. Nothing hurts hunting more than supporting extreme kinds of hunting that most people find unacceptable.

The commission will be fixed when commissioners care about and represent all stakeholders and when people who are appointed have the skills and ability to listen to all viewpoints objectively and get along with those who may have ideas that are not exactly like their own.

Martha Hall

Anacortes, Wash.