What nurse practitioners do
In response to the Feb. 6 Bangor Daily News article “How a Maine woman reclaimed her life after 30 years of drug therapy,” I appreciate the sentiment of the article that suggests some health care providers fail to properly prescribe psychiatric medications, fail to consider non-pharmacological alternatives, or both. As a nurse practitioner, I take offense to the recounting of Meg Haskell’s conversation with psychiatrist Robert Croswell that states: “Unfortunately, he said current changes in medical practice mean that doctors rarely interact on a personal level with their patients, and drug adjustments are often made by mid-level providers without the expertise to clearly understand a patient’s response and when a larger change is called for.”
The term “mid-level” includes nurse practitioners and physician assistants and should be banned from the health care lexicon. It is insulting and implies patients who see us receive mediocre care. Furthermore, these two professions have different education, certification and licensure processes.
Physician assistants obtain a master’s degree and training by schools of medicine. Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who earn a master’s or doctorate degree in nursing. They practice independently in Maine. The only thing “mid-level” about us is our salary, which is usually less than half of physicians.
To suggest “mid-levels” lack knowledge of psychoactive medications and assessment skills is just plain wrong. The misprescribing of psychotropic medications is the fault of some nurse practitioners, physician assistants, physicians and, dare I say, even some psychiatrists.
Joshua Bridges
Bangor
All constituents matter
On Tuesday, at a Facebook-streamed event, Sen. Susan Collins asked constituents to stop overwhelming her office staff with calls. At an event in Kentucky the same day, Sen. Mitch McConnell stated “when you win the election you get to make policy. Winners make policy and the losers go home.”
I would just like to remind our elected leaders that “winners” or “losers,” it is their job to represent all of their constituents, and therefore, they should be willing to hear the concerns of all of their constituents. Not agreeing with a person’s concerns does not make their concerns less valid.
Jennifer Lipka
Bangor
Prison economics
Lawmakers are talking again about closing the small, minimum security prison in Bucks Harbor. One side argues for saving $5 million by closing this prison. The other side points to the loss of 51 jobs and the inmate workforce that picks blueberries, tips spruce trees, and plows local roads.
This conversation, focusing on prison economics, is too narrow. Let’s expand it.
In 40 years, the number of people incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails has grown by 500 percent. America’s 2.2 million inmates make up nearly a quarter of the world’s prisoners. We’re in first place, and that’s nothing to be proud of.
This has to change. We are incarcerating too many of our sons, fathers, daughters and mothers when alternatives with more dignity, such as community-based prevention and treatment for substance abuse and mental health, would be more effective.
Let’s get creative and commit to reducing the prison population and addressing the real fear of the economic impact prison closings have on communities. Let’s invest some of that $5 million in re-training those who will lose their jobs. Let’s have robust conversations to collaboratively reimagine a rural economy that does not depend on a prison to sustain itself.
Defenders of slavery in America argued abolishment would have a profound economic impact on the economy. Can we imagine that, in our lifetime, the argument to keep a prison open primarily to avoid the economic impact of closing it will sound just as wrong? I hope so.
Kristen Johnson
Stockton Springs
Kudos to rescuers
Last weekend, there was a tragic accident on Katahdin in which I lost my best friend.
Those involved with the recovery, including Baxter State Park employees, the all-volunteer Wilderness Rescue Team, and the two independent climbers handled this unbelievable situation with impressive professionalism. They all performed their duties with genuine concern and showed respect to all involved.
The people of Maine should be proud to have such dedicated men and women at their service when needed.
Barry Porter
Bangor
American priorities
Amidst the chatter, static and chaff from Washington, the White House budget office has drafted a hit list of programs that President Donald Trump could use to eliminate longtime conservative targets: the National Endowment for the Humanities, which provides grants to museums, archives, libraries, colleges and universities; the National Endowment for the Arts, which fund arts, literature and more; and also on the chopping block, the Corporation for National and Community Service, which finances programs run by AmeriCorps and SeniorCorps — think Vista and the National Civilian Community Corps.
A bill has been introduced into Congress by Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colorado, to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and to use the funds to help expand the military. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding is small (less than 0.02 percent of federal spending) and helps keep public radio and television and community radio stations on the air. And this is just a sampling of what is being proposed.
We need to ask ourselves what we want from our government. Should it only be about building a modern day oligarchic Sparta simply fixated on building an ever expanding military and greasing the path to ever greater profits for corporations and wealth of the elite? Or should our government look towards the enhancement and education of all? One that believes everyone does better when everyone does better.
Lawmakers need to hear that a well-educated society is a strong society and to reject these regressive bills.
Greg Rossel
Troy
Dutson half right
Lance Dutson was correct in his Feb. 14 BDN column when he said that the media gave the impression that Sen. Elizabeth Warren was not allowed to finish reading Coretta Scott King’s letter on the Senate floor. I had this impression and listened again to her Senate speech to find that she was cut off during her remarks after she finished reading the letter. Many media outlets made a mistake.
But Dutson misses the bigger point that Rule 19 was intended to promote civility and decorum. How can the Senate do its job of advise and consent if it can’t say anything negative about a fellow senator during the confirmation process?
Art Newkirk
Blue Hill