Letters for Feb. 2, 2023
Violence Against Women Act crucial
Jan. 25’s Spokesman-Review tells a sad story of a fatally strangled 16-year-old girl in the Seattle area (“Teen found dead along Seattle highway was fatally strangled”). I am quoting important information included in the article: “Strangulation deaths, which disproportionately affect women, are generally uncommon and have decreased dramatically since passage of the federal Violence Against Women Act in 1994.” “State law was changed in 2007 to recognize strangulation as one of the most lethal forms of domestic violence.”
Our important House representative, Cathy McMorris Rogers, voted against renewing this act when it last came up in Congress. This, among a number of other important bills, like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, have been “no” votes by her. Please remember this next year when we have another chance to elect someone with different values.
Roz Luther
Spokane
City Line highlights outdated park
Spokane has several new and forward-thinking initiatives poised on the horizon. One is an expansion of our transportation system with the pending City Line Bus Rapid Transit route.
And the new route starts, as noted by Spokane Transit Authority, in the “Historic Browne’s Addition,” specifically at Coeur d’Alene Park. The new City Line service begins with three established stops centered around the park. What will local riders and visitors see? Currently, they’ll be able to view the aging 25-plus year dated wooden playground equipment, the abandoned tennis court area and the permanently closed restroom facility, a building listed on the historic registry. Areas littered with needles and other drug paraphernalia will be brought to their attention. They’ll pass portable restrooms that line a major Browne’s Addition street and see the sadness of the parks centerpiece gazebo, shuttered due to issues with needed repair. They may notice the dirt and grass pathways that meander within the park, none of which are currently compliant with the American Disability Act. If Coeur d’Alene Park is the visitor’s first or last stop on the route, they soon find that a walk in one of the USA’s 50 Oldest City’s Parks is perhaps a reflection of what Spokane has become, not in line with the millions spent on the transit route promoting the future of Spokane.
Sadly, updating the park is not reflected in the Spokane Park Board’s master plan.
Michael Pearson
Spokane
Bill would aid health care staffing crisis in Washington
State House Bill 1038, licensure of Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants, if passed, would increase the workforce of anesthesia providers in Washington, reducing wait times for patients and providing reinforcements for the overtaxed anesthesia nursing staff.
CAAs have been around for 50 years. Similar to PAs, CAAs obtain an undergraduate degree with a pre-medical emphasis, attend a master’s program that is affiliated with a medical school, and each CAA graduates with over 2,000 hours of clinical experience in providing anesthesia.
In Washington, many hospitals use what is known as the Anesthesia Care Team model of staffing, where one anesthesiologist supervises up to four certified registered nurse anesthetists at one time. Under this bill, Washington hospitals would be able to employ both CRNAs and CAAs to work with anesthesiologists in the ACT. This would allow for increased hiring pools and flexibility for hospitals, which translates into better overall care for patients.
In a guest opinion (“Proposed anesthesia staffing changes won’t help patients,” Jan. 15), the author claimed this bill would “just mean more anesthesia providers required to serve the same number of patients.” Licensing CAAs in Washington would not require more providers, it would allow more providers in a staffing model that already exists. That is a good thing. Our state is in a “staffing crisis” as the author noted, and should make every attempt to lower barriers to licensed qualified and safe providers, like CAAs.
As a CAA myself and a resident of Spokane, I am eager to help fill the ever-widening gap of health care workers in our state.
Sarah Brown
Spokane