Medical Board must follow substance abusing doctors

I share the concerns expressed in your Dec. 21 article “A California Recovery Program Keeps Watch on Addicted Health Workers – but not Doctors,” and I want to emphasize that Consumer Watchdog supports a new diversion program for physicians. However, we oppose any approach that allows the Medical Board to neglect reporting board-referred participants and enables the program to shield participants from disciplinary action.

Having lost my fiancé due to a botched surgery by a substance-abusing doctor, I am aware of the necessity for medical board transparency. Since the public lacks information regarding substance-abusing physicians, we rely on the Medical Board to maintain this information. We must hold our Medical Board accountable, urging them to report recidivist physicians they refer to a state program and review participants who fail to meet program standards.

Over its 27-year history, the Diversion program saw less than 10% of participants self-refer. The majority of physicians are referred by the Medical Board in lieu of discipline, and it is vital that the board receive information about their progress.

— Michele Monserratt-Ramos, Consumer Watchdog, Los Angeles

Filthy SC parking garages with broken elevators

I am happy that the city is contributing to the Parking for Hope campaign. Definitely a worthwhile cause.

I too have a parking hope. Both of the parking garages with multiple stories have broken elevators, which have been broken for quite some time. As a senior citizen who has lived here 50 years, I feel grateful can still walk up and down three stories just so I can park and shop downtown.

However, I am not feeling grateful that the stairs are beyond filthy and feel like a bacteria-breeding ground. And sadly, if you need to use a handrail to negotiate three flights of stairs, you will certainly need a gallon of sanitize when you reach your destination!

So, my Parking for Hope campaign is hoping that the city will use some of their budget to:

a) fix the elevators and,

b) clean these disgusting stairs and rails.

What impression does this convey to visitors and locals? Just another example of a lack of concern for what should be a great destination for us to frequent.

— Lynda Sisk, Felton

High Court can act quickly — on TikTok, not Trump

Turns out that the U.S. Supreme Court can act quickly when it wants to. Recall that on Feb. 12, Donald Trump filed an emergency application to review a lower court ruling in the Jan. 6 case rejecting his claims of presidential immunity. On Feb. 28, the Court granted Trump’s application, setting a hearing for April 25. The Court ruled on July 11 — 149 days after the emergency filing — sending the case back to the District Court for more proceedings, ensuring that the case could not be heard before the November election.

On Dec. 16, TikTok filed an emergency application to review a lower court ruling upholding a law that bans it from the U.S. unless it is sold to a non-Chinese owner. On Dec. 18, the Court granted the application, setting a hearing for Jan. 10, 2025. The Court presumably will rule by Jan. 19, the date the challenged law takes effect: 34 days from filing to ruling.

Apparently, this Court finds a huge corporation’s economic interests to be more urgent than protecting American democracy.

— Peter Gelblum, Boulder Creek

Trump, GOP no closer on their own health care plan

It seems like it should be true: When you have a consensus for a No vote on something, you automatically ought to have a consensus for a Yes vote on something related. It isn’t true and Republicans still don’t understand why.

When the GOP ran the House during Obama’s administration, they didn’t like ObamaCare (Affordable Care Act) but found it difficult to agree on something better. Instead, they decided to destroy ObamaCare first and find a replacement later.

From 2011 to 2015, the Republican House voted 67 times to overturn ObamaCare. These all went nowhere, of course, as Democrats controlled the Senate and White House.

This September, a decade later, during a debate with Harris, Trump was asked if he now had a better plan. Trump replied, “I have concepts of a plan.” Meaning, of course, they’re no closer than they were a decade earlier.

— Edgar Ross, Scotts Valley