Modesto Bee - Letters to the Editor

last updated: January 29, 2008 08:25:02 AM

Here is yet another letter regarding the horrible state of our city/county finances and the Gallo Center for The Arts. When the list of donors for the center was listed, I counted a minimum of 13 physicians who had donated at the $25,000+ level. Yet our county health system is almost bankrupt and almost no physician outside of the county or Golden Valley Health Center will accept Medi-Cal patients. We have read over and over how our county patients are having to go farther and farther away for specialty care or wait months and months to see a specialist (cardiologist, orthopedist, oncologist, etc.) because our community physicians won't help carry the load. How is it that these physicians, who are sworn to do no harm, can refuse to treat indigent or state supported patients, yet they can donate $25,000+ to an arts center that sits surrounded by horrible streets, an outdated police station and jail, and is near our now closed county hospital that is almost bankrupt just trying to perform outpatient care?

I guess the physicians use the same logic the county did when it approved the multi-million dollar sponsorship for the arts center.

JULIE EDMONDS

Modesto