Barglof wrongfully convicted in court of public opinion

Think we ought to hang him?

Since the hiring of Mr. Barglof, he has done nothing right! Or so the January meeting and the rumor mill has proclaimed.

Has anyone heard one single positive thing he has said or done since he’s been here?

I’ve heard him called a crook in a public meeting. I’ve heard that he is spending the hospital into bankruptcy and that he certainly shouldn’t be driving a Jaguar.

Why isn’t he in jail? Not only was he fired from the Odessa Hospital but he doesn’t even live here!

Clearly, many people in this community have convicted him without a trial, without evidence and without justification.

I have spoken with Mr. Barglof, but would not consider us close friends. And if I thought he was, in any way, trying to bring down our hospital I would be the first to heat the tar and gather the feathers.

But let’s talk about what he’s done. Let’s start with the Odessa fiasco. After eight years of guiding the hospital without incident, he came up against the small town plague. One angry person with friends and relatives in the right positions, and the walls came a tumbling down. His choices were to give up his integrity and authority as the hospital administrator or leave his position. Don’t you find it hard to respect a man with integrity?

Next, let’s cover the fact that he doesn’t live here... With the small town plague rampant in Ritzville and with experience in this area, would you move your family into this atmosphere of hate and distrust?

I’m really surprised that he doesn’t feel his job is as secure as it could be and that he hasn’t moved his family into this incredibly welcoming community. Aren’t you?

All right, what about his spending habits? First of all he is wasting money on furniture for the hospital waiting room. Wait – the Hospital Foundation paid for that furniture. Then there is the fact that he drives a Jaguar. Don’t we all believe that all Hospital Administrators should drive either a Hudson or an Edsel? To be honest, I don’t care what he drives as long as he pays for it with his own salary. Do you?

I’ve watched him put up with more abuse than most people would endure. I believe he sees this as being a professional, but I’m sure of one thing – I would have slapped someone before this. He hasn’t. Bringing himself down to the level of his abusers would serve no purpose, but I suspect it would feel good. He hasn’t.

When the contract negotiations began to flounder, he hoped for the best and planned for the worst. Isn’t that his job? When negotiations broke down he was ready with the locum company to keep the hospital doors open. Instead of congratulating him on keeping the doors open, the community has blamed him for the negotiation breakdown. Something he had no control over.

Now let’s discuss the hospital advances during his short stay as administrator. He found our professional compliance requirements not up to state standards and, with the help of his staff, all requirements have now been met or exceeded. We now have a new CT scanner and a new digital x-ray unit and table. Our lab is now qualified to do more extensive blood testing. We are now qualified to do blood transfusions and have blood available on site. Our swing bed program has increased 1,000 per cent for the same time last year. We now have a visiting MRI unit at the hospital every third week. We have upgraded our stroke and cardiac care levels. Our hospital has been a recognized trauma center and awarded a $9,000 grant to assist with our emergency care. We now have an occupational therapist visiting every week from St Luke’s hospital. While Mr. Barglof hasn’t done all this by himself, he has clearly led his staff to make our facility better in many ways.

I think that any individual running for hospital commissioner should find out the facts before threatening the administrator’s job. Replacing Mr. Barglof with an unknown entity that would bow to the doctors’ every whim would be a giant mistake. Do you want to go back to the levels of care that were available prior to Mr. Barglof’s arrival? I hope not! Think before you vote. Support your local hospital.

Phil Bowman, Ritzville