rewrite this title Letters to the Editor, Week of Aug. 16, 2023
Summarize this content material to 100 phrases
Editor,We have to take a more durable take a look at Greenways V Levy. In the course of the previous 33 years, the Greenways Program has been profitable in sustaining and creating outside recreation alternatives in Bellingham. The levy has collected greater than $100 million throughout this time. It’s time for the town to shift its consideration and taxpayer {dollars} to year-round, equitable, indoor recreation. We want fashionable, power environment friendly, public (not like the YMCA), equitable amenities like swimming pools, ice rinks, senior facilities, and neighborhood facilities. These amenities ought to be regarded as parks. The retreat of presidency and privatization of swimming swimming pools and recreation have damage minority teams the toughest.Swimming and different types of indoor recreation have grow to be unique actions because of the lack of public amenities, forcing the neighborhood to hunt indoor actions outdoors of Whatcom County. The $36 million Greenways levy collected from 2017 to 2022 might have funded a brand new pool or neighborhood middle. Each household ought to be capable of have entry to swim classes, swim groups, lap swims, and water train courses for well being and wellness. That’s not at present the case. We have to take a look at leisure amenities and packages, with the aim of offering well-rounded providers equitably throughout our neighborhood. Our rising metropolis needs public, accessible, indoor recreation alternatives. Public transit techniques have extra stops at mounted amenities, making them extra accessible than path techniques and open-air parks.I hope the Greenways Program can proceed the great work, whereas additionally lastly specializing in our public indoor parks.Brad JonesBellinghamEditor,The visitor essay writer Ted Royal sees flaws in our state’s Loss of life with Dignity regulation (CDN, August 8, 2023). He summed up his considerations with, “However that does not work for somebody who isn’t of sound thoughts and cannot be cellular.”In each state that has handed doctor support in dying laws, being of sound thoughts is required in all jurisdictions — the individual should make a voluntary, well-considered, knowledgeable request whereas they’re absolutely competent. That requirement is a vital safeguard to forestall the involuntary use of the deadly substances prescribed to finish one’s life.Dr. Margaret Jacobson, a neighborhood board-certified household drugs and hospice and palliative drugs doctor explains the significance of palliative care because it pertains to aid-in-dying. As a result of PeaceHealth — and in equity, many hospital teams, religious-based or in any other case — don’t take part in right-to-die providers, she factors out that, “these of us on the PeaceHealth system Ethics Committee, together with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, understood that if PeaceHealth opposed this laws, they need to supply impeccable, state-of-the-art end-of-life care. Palliative and hospice care have been thought of important to that mission.” That, in a nutshell, is why the closure of PeaceHealth’s outpatient palliative care providers, and its refusal to deal with the communities it serves on the matter, continues to be an ongoing moral and ethical situation.Mr. Royal’s beloved aunt, and their whole household, might have benefitted from outpatient palliative care.PeaceHealth, when you’ve got plans to reinstate this system, inform us now. Should you do not, clarify why not.Micki JacksonBellinghamEditor,I used to be simply studying the E-edition for August 11, 2023, and was fairly impressed with the letters from Ted Van Dyk, and Ira Penn, each from Bellingham.I believe it is a wonderful thought to make use of the previous St. Luke’s Hospital as a triage middle of types for individuals with psychological well being and drug points. Then, presumably, we will transfer on to a dialogue of refurbishing the present jail for the aim it was meant, or, a brand new jail. However a tax for one thing so nebulous as “the brand new jail” is just about leaping the gun.Barry HutchinsonDemingEditor,Ted Royal wrote a wonderful article about coping with relations as they close to the top of their lives. It’s a difficult topic to debate with household or mates or these you belief with this delicate matter. The editorial from the earlier week addressed a number of the challenges that residents face in working with PeaceHealth as a Catholic-based hospital. Feelings run the complete gamut for all of us as we’re confronted with this resolution now or at some future level. All of us need to dwell a sturdy life with out turning into an emotional, bodily or monetary burden. When is sufficient, sufficient? Thanks Ted to your contribution to an overdue dialogue for lots of us. “The price of that was prohibitive,” caught my consideration. I needed to learn every part a number of extra instances and plug in my very own variables.Scott ThompsonPuyallupEditor,Thanks so very a lot for declaring the insufficiencies of the PeaceHealth system in Bellingham. I extremely reward you for exposing the a number of wrongdoings, the mandatory well being packages they’ve dropped and the slowness of getting any medical care on this city.I’ve been very pissed off with PeaceHealth and the hospital right here ever since transferring to Bellingham in 2016. I’ve sat of their ER for as much as 6 1/2 hours. My shortest wait has been three hours! My neighbor, who broke his hip, sat in ER right here for over eight hours in fixed ache ready to be seen. That is totally unacceptable. At the moment I known as a Main Care doctor’s workplace to talk to somebody and I used to be placed on maintain for over an hour!Bellingham residents are being short-changed and cheated by PeaceHealth. Please inform me what I and others can do to get a second hospital in Bellingham. It’s my understanding that PeaceHealth and the Board are in whole management of this they usually don’t want any competitors from a second hospital. That is completely unfair to the inhabitants of Bellingham and this could not proceed!Please proceed to reveal the native healthcare system that’s maintaining us beneath the thumb of PeaceHealth. Thanks.Lorraine DelahoydeBellinghamEditor,I’m writing concerning the over-priced [Northwest Washington] honest occurring now in Lynden.Yearly I wrestle to afford the honest! A pair hundred {dollars} for me, my husband, and our grandson to attend. Final 12 months it was 200 bucks with little or no meals. And many throwaway prizes. This 12 months we supplied to purchase our grandson a brand new bike as a substitute of going to the honest. Arms down he selected a brand new bike over the honest! A win-win state of affairs for all concerned. We saved cash and he was so excited to go pick his new bike.Patty HutchinsLyndenLetters to the Editor are printed on-line Wednesdays and a range is printed in print Fridays. Ship Letters to the Editor to letters@cascadiadaily.com, due Tuesdays at 10 a.m. Guidelines: Most 250 phrases, have a degree and make it clearly. CDN reserves the appropriate to edit letters for size, readability, grammar and elegance, and private assaults or offensive content material. Letters ought to be submitted with an tackle/telephone quantity to confirm the author’s id (not for publication).
