Kings County Hospital… and 100s like it

The recently released videotape of a woman being ignored while she died on the floor of Kings County Hospital is the kind of heartbreaking, graphic, “smoking-gun” evidence that forces the vast problem of medical neglect into our consciousness, but it is far from surprising in view of the past history of Kings County Hospital and it is far from unique to that hospital. Decades ago, when I first visited Kings County Hospital, it was already ancient and decrepit. At the time, I took in the sights and sounds and smells through the filter of thinking about it as the place where the great Woody Guthrie had first been institutionalized in the throes of his alcoholism and Huntington’s, and where the infamous Son-of-Sam, David Berkowitz, had more recently been locked up and evaluated. It was a place that had contained giants of good and evil.

Kings County is one New York’s municipal hospitals. One of hospitals that primarily serves America’s poor, who cannot afford better care. People who have money or health care coverage typically know to go someplace else. In fact, Doctors at Kings County Hospital have been accused of sending potentially paying patients across the street to a University affiliated hospital. They have been accused of doing so because

Two birds, one stone

A few of you will know, however dimly, that two significant debates have been developing over the past week at places like Experimental Philosophy and Feminist Philosophers. It’s time to bring the What Sorts Collective Mind/Geist to sorting out both debates, and all in less time that it takes to say “Why the hell didn’t I think of that?”. Two birds, one stone.

Ah, the context, for those blessed enough to be NOT in the know. The first goes back to the pre-conference workshop on Experimental Philosophy at the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, held in Philadelphia last week. Near the end of that workshop some hairy whackaloon cretin stood up and delivered a sermon (not quite from the mount, but close by) about the lack of women in experimental philosophy, as represented in the workshop and more generally. Thus ensued Debate #1, mostly conducted pairwise and in whispers in the bathrooms around the conference site, but then taken up at both the aforementioned blogs in no doubt more sanitized forms. Are women under-represented in (what they insist on calling) “x-phi”? If so, why is that? And if not, why do hairy whackaloon cretins seem to think that? And why are these people let out on the weekends, anyway?

Segue, without missing a beat, to Debate #2: should “we” set up a new society with a focus on (ok, I’ll play along) x-phi. And, more importantly, if so, what should be call it?

Independence and Dependence

The 4th of July holiday in the US gets me thinking about what independence means, and the importance—the necessary—of acknowledging how much we need each other. And about fingernails—–you’ll see why at Autism Vox.

It’s My History Too: Your Chance to Vote

The Vocational and Rehabilitation Research Institute in Calgary is running a vote-driven competition that YOU can participate in. They are contributing to a museum exhibition called It’s My History Too that will focus on “mavericks” who have made a difference to the lives of people marginalized by, or in the name of, developmental disability (perceived or real). In a recent email communication, they say:

The nominations are in! Now is your chance to vote for 3 mavericks who you would like to see in the It’s My History, Too! exhibit. It’s a quick & easy way to participate in this exciting project. Click here to read about the candidates and then vote for your top maverick in each category. Remember: You have until July 18, 2008 to vote for your 3 mavericks. We look forward to your votes. Please encourage others to vote, too!

Well, I’m taking that last part to heart in blogging this here and encouraging you to vote. Although the form itself is not all that clearly organized and somewhat unwieldy–why organize it through pictures if you only have pictures of half of the nominees?–it’s worth clicking through the list to see the nominees’ accomplishments. What Sorts member Leilani O’Malley (Muir) is Maverick #6. You can read more about her at the Wikipedia article linked above, and how her own struggle led to significant changes in the lives of many others.

Here’s encouraging you to vote early (and often) in a democratic glow.