In letters: Should hospitals have a ‘noise curfew’ for patients?
Quiet, please!
I returned home recently from a week at French Hospital. I entered French with complications following prostate surgery in Santa Monica about a month ago and had three catheters placed, dialysis twice, and a variety of other interventions. My caregivers, from dietary and nursing staff to radiology and lab services, as well as six doctors, were caring and competent.
My concern is the lack of quiet in shared post-op/surgery rooms for patient recovery. I shared a room with another surgical patient who played his TV until the wee hours each night. Based on comments he made to our nurses/doctors, I know he was in great pain and the distraction no doubt helped him. Unfortunately, listening to hours of loud sitcoms and commercials at night left me drained the next day, despite my own pain/sleep medications.
I experienced this same situation at Sierra Vista following gallbladder surgery five years ago. At both hospitals, I mentioned this to nurses who said, “We don’t have a noise curfew,” or “You should bring this up to admin.”
That’s the point of this letter. If patients could be provided headphones for video/audio entertainment or noise curfews (say 10 p.m.) established, it would surely improve the post-op patient’s outcomes, which is I’m sure our hospital’s goal.
Mark Shelton, San Luis Obispo
Keep it local
Regarding, “Bestselling author came to SLO on a book tour. Now she’s stuck in a Pismo hotel with COVID”:
Why, when there is so much going on here on the Central Coast, after all these storms, are you wasting space on this entitled out-of-towner? Her comments, “like, people don’t have second pairs of sweatpants”; how great room service is; and if anyone could get her a second pair of sweatpants, she would really appreciate it.
She is staying at a resort hotel that costs over $650 a night, including a daily $35 service fee. She could easily afford to go online and purchase sweatpants from Amazon, Target or Walmart and have them delivered the next day.
There are families all over the Central Coast who have been flooded out of their homes (Arroyo Grande, Oceano. Morro Bay, etc). There are also many who now have no home to go back to.
Every story you print about local people will help other locals realize the needs of their community and what they can do to help. Please try to act more responsibly as journalists and be the “Newspaper of the Central Coast” you claim to be.
Christina Ramirez, Cayucos
Another Palm theater fan
A. Piette’s letter about survival of The Palm theater could not have been more spot on. The Palm is our indie connection to fantastic films. Where would we go to see these films otherwise?
I urge all film lovers to go back to the big screen and delight in the best way to see movies. Leave Netflix and streaming and come and enjoy, sometimes with perfect strangers, sitting in the dark, and being part of that anonymity. In March the Palm will host the Jewish Film Festival.
Go and find a beautiful culture of films. In April, the San Luis Obispo Film Festival will present to us a smorgasbord to amaze and tantalize us. Support our local festivals and businesses. And let’s get back to life and see you at the movies!
Victoria Grostick, San Luis Obispo
Diablo letters
The dichotomy between The Tribune’s Jan. 15 letters to the editor on the subject of Diablo Canyon is remarkable.
One is concerned about the leftovers of nuclear generation of energy (radioactive waste) toxic to living organisms for millennia and the other writer is applauding the continuation of generating more waste.
The Fukushima accident is “old news” to many but those meltdowns of the reactors and the more than a million tons of contaminated water still sitting in huge containers there are very much a concern.
Japan will start releasing this water containing tritium and other radioactive isotopes into the ocean – our ocean – continuing to do so for possibly 40 years.
As stated by David Panuelo, Micronesia head of state and Nobel Prize panelist, “We cannot close our eyes to the unimaginable threats of nuclear contamination, marine pollution and eventual destruction of the Blue Pacific Continent.”
One ocean, one planet.
Marty Brown, Atascadero
Whose bright idea was the bear card?
Just received a shiny new Visa debit card from a bank supposedly funded by our 2022 “California Middle Class Tax Refund.”
It had a picture of a bear and the California seal. Like many, it looked like a scam to me, and I almost threw it away, but checked it out online out of curiosity.
I truly thought the flashy card was some low-life fraud until I Googled it and watched a TV news clip online where they talked about how this idea has kept even mildly cautious legitimate taxpayers from the money earmarked for them while making it easily accessible to thieves.
Who in the powers-that-be thought this was a good idea? They gave all of our personal and financial information to a bank we did not choose and have no reason to trust.
This process is so leaky that it has already led to multiple true scams that are draining the accounts. Assuming your account has not been drained, it is possible to call the number on the card and wait through all the prompts until you get to the one where they will mail you your check ... eventually.
Carol Nelson-Selby, San Luis Obispo
Calling all SLO folks
Attention families, students, retirees, and all residents of San Luis Obispo!
Are you pissed off about city politics? Have something to say about bike lanes, public transportation, or any other sort of city project or ordinance? Or are you thrilled with city initiatives and the way things are going? Come voice your opinions and concerns at the city’s upcoming community forum on Jan. 26 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Ludwick Community Center. There will be a bike valet and activities for children.
Reach out to communityforum@slocity.org with any questions. We as SLO community members have the chance to influence our local government’s priorities, projects, and goals, and we should take advantage of it. Democracy begins locally! Hope to see you there.
Emma Carter, San Luis Obispo