[Peace-discuss] GEO in the News - Gazette

[Marti Wilkinson]

My understanding is the person who is responsible for sonograms at McKInley
is retiring and the U of I is not replacing the individual. Being a sonogram
technician is specialized field and the refusal to hire a replacement pretty
much amounts to a discontinuation of the service.  So any time a student has
to go to another clinic for a medical service/screening the costs are out of
network.

As both a endometriosis and cancer survivor I can say that sonograms are a
very invaluable screening tool for me and I would hate to see young women
denied access just because the U of I is too cheap to hire a replacement.



On Wed, Dec 17, 2008 at 4:18 PM, E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag> wrote:

>  If they already have the sonogram machine and the staff, it seems that
> cutting the service
> does nothing to reduce costs.  I am supposing that there is no additional
> costs to be incurred
> other than the "burnout vs. rustout" of a machine.  Seems it could be
> scheduled for an time
> when staff is available.
>
> If the service is farmed out to a local clinic or hospital, that does
> complicate it significantly,
> but the same principles could and should be applied to reduce the cost
> impact.
>
> Marti Wilkinson wrote:
>
>
> http://www.newsgazette.com/news/local/2008/12/17/graduate_employees_organization_keep_sonogram_services
>
> URBANA – Despite final exams, relentless snow and below-freezing
> temperatures, more than a dozen University of Illinois graduate students and
> employees gathered in front of the campus health center on Tuesday to call
> for better health care for students.
>
> "Women's health should be a priority!" they shouted. Health care benefits
> should be improved, not whittled away, several said in response to news that
> because of the upcoming retirement of a technician, sonograms may not be
> available at the center.
>
> With a family history of ovarian cancer, graduate student and employee
> Aimee Rickman said her doctors have told her she should have a sonogram
> performed twice a year to screen for ovarian cancer. Since she has been a
> graduate student at the UI, she has had those procedures at McKinley.
>
> "I don't want to get ovarian cancer. To stay on top of it, I need these
> screenings," she said.
>
> University spokeswoman Robin Kaler said the health center's staff is
> optimistic the university would be able to maintain the sonogram service
> after the technician's retirement.
>
> "We're now negotiating with a community health partner to find a
> replacement to continue the service one day a week with no cost to
> students," she said.
>
> Since a contract has not been finalized, Kaler said she could not release
> details such as the name of the provider or the cost of the contract.
>
> The sonogram is an important tool in women's health care, said nurse
> practitioner Susan Miller, who has worked at McKinley for 25 years. If a
> patient comes to McKinley complaining of pelvic pain or irregular bleeding,
> a sonogram can help detect fibroids, an ectopic pregnancy or endometriosis,
> Miller said.
>
> "If they take our tools away, we can't do our jobs," she said.
>
> "We know the university has budget issues," said Jim McGuire, president of
> American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 698,
> which represents nurses and technicians at McKinley Health Center. But cuts
> shouldn't be made in health care for students, he said.
>
> The Graduate Employees' Organization, which sponsored Tuesday's rally,
> would like the university to hire a full-time sonogram technician.
>
> "We want it to be a regular service," said graduate student and employee
> Michael Simeone. "That signifies the university's commitment to health
> care."
>
> "The GEO recognizes we're in difficult economic times, but slashing basic
> medical services is something that cannot happen," he added.
> ------------------------------
> Find this article at:
>
> http://www.newsgazette.com/news/2008/12/17/graduate_employees_organization_keep_sonogram_services
> Comments
>
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