Observing Martin Luther King Day

Rosemary Flanigan
January 19, 2009

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr Day to all. We just had a program at the Center—and didn’t 86 people show up!! I think people want to celebrate together.

First, I thank Francie for her MOST THOUGHTFUL organizational ethics issue from the perspective of an emergency department doctor. Questions like these MUST be addressed!!

How do the rest of you handle continued care for the un/underinsured?? I know that the Center, under Terry Rosell's leadership, has developed a service in the Kansas City area in which specialists sign up to see a certain number of such patients on a pro bono basis—but that is charity trumping justice. It need not be that way.

AND, just to use one e-mail, a friend at the Consortium gave me “Hope, Truth, and Preparing for Death: Perspectives of Surrogate Decision Makers” from the 2008:149:861-868 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. This is a great article for ethics committee education—excellent real arguments when the physician says, “I can’t tell she’s dying; it will destroy her hope.”
MARVELOUS!

Happy day!