\n \n \n \n \n \n \n April 5, 2020 1:00 AM\n \n \n \n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ms. Scott,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am sure that you are familiar with the saying \u201cyour right to throw a punch stops at my face.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fact: Coronavirus is deadly, and cases are present in Bonner and Kootenai counties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fact: Health care workers are 200-400% as likely to contract the virus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fact: CDC states that social distancing orders and stay at home \norders will decrease the number of cases, and particularly, \u201cflatten the\n curve\u201d so that health care resources are not overwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fact: Models of North Idaho demonstrate that, if unmitigated, \nresources, particularly ICU beds and ventilators, will be overwhelmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fact: Once overwhelmed, ethics committees have deemed that resources \nare prioritized based on profession (more specifically health care \nworkers) followed by chance of survival, followed by age. Scarce \nresources are NOT allocated by political or social status, wealth or \n\u201cfirst-served.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because you believe that the stay-at-home order is unlawful (which it\n is not, under state of emergency), and more importantly, have used your\n public office to encourage others to violate the order, you have put \nlaw-abiding citizens, and health care workers at increased risk of \ninfection, hospitalization and death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As such, your punch has reached my face. It is criminal that you \nwould use your pubic office to threaten the health of your constituents \nand your local and regional health care workers. Similar to Bonner \nCounty Sheriff Daryl Wheeler, the entire medical staff at Kootenai \nHealth is aware of this reckless behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I realize that the pandemic is not much of a concern to those \nuneducated people who believe this threat is a \u201choax\u201d or \u201coverblown,\u201d \nbut I want you to know that in the unlikely but possible event that \neither you or Sheriff Wheeler contract the coronavirus, and in the less \nlikely event that you will require hospitalization, and even less likely\n but possible event that you would require a ventilator, that I, and all\n of my co-workers take comfort in knowing that, because of your \nbehavior, you have essentially relinquished your claim to any of these \npotentially scare resources. It\u2019s probably for the better that a \nventilator go to a health care provider anyway,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Please re-think your behavior and your actions and rescind your \ncomments and requests. Health care providers are concerned that we have \ninadequate testing to know which of our patients are infected and \ninadequate PPE to protect ourselves through a surge. As such we would \nask you to think of them\/us, rather than yourself at this difficult \ntime. You could possibly use your legislative power to help with the \nproblem, rather than add to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DR. ROBERT J. BURNETT MD, FACS, FCCP<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coeur d\u2019Alene<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The views expressed in this letter are my own. They are in no way the opinions of Kootenai Health or its medical staff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Officials\u2019 comments threaten others\u2019 health April 5, 2020 1:00 AM Ms. Scott, I am sure that you are familiar with the saying \u201cyour right to throw a punch stops at my face.\u201d Fact: Coronavirus is deadly, and cases are present … Continue reading