Letters to the Editor for May 20, 2020

Spend, spend, spend

I read on page A6 of May 7 Appeal. Lawmakers want reports on how to spend $836 million in federal money to cover costs of battling the pandemic. Then on page A7 Board of Examiners drains $401 million from rainy Day Fund to deal with pandemic. That’s a total of $1.237 million.

If the expected shortfall is somewhere between $741 million and $911 million, then using the worst case $911 million shortfall where is the excess $316 million going? As the Democrats say never let a crisis go to waste.

Robert Lamkin

Carson City

Thank you to first line workers

On behalf of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, I’d like to thank all those who work in nursing facilities — doctors, nurses, food preparers, housekeepers, and others — for their unwavering dedication to compassionately caring for the vulnerable residents who are relying on them during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These facilities have been on the front lines of the pandemic, and our hearts are with all of those who have been affected by this virus and their families.

We at CMS share the goal of keeping nursing facility residents safe and healthy. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are using CMS’s regulatory authority to facilitate residents’ care and ensure that long-term care facilities have the guidance they need to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The best thing nursing facilities can do to keep residents and themselves safe is to ensure they’re following effective infection-control practices. These are outlined in our guidance and include recommendations that employees wash their hands properly; separate ill residents from well residents; use personal protective equipment correctly; get screened for illness; and stay home if they’re sick.

By employing effective infection control and prevention, coordinating with local and state health authorities, and showing patience and kindness to others, we can beat the virus, reopen America, and keep our nursing home residents safe and healthy.

Seema Verma

Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Video of candidate forum available

The Good Governance Group of Douglas County had a candidate forum for our commissioners at the Carson Valley Museum on May 12. We were able to film the event and make available to anyone that wants to see it.

I was the chairperson for this event. I want to “thank” my committee members Barbara Smallwood, Chris Golightly, Barbara Decker and Jim McKalip for helping me make

this forum a success. I want to “thank” Pat Tafoya and Marshall Goldy for taking care of the filming and making it available on the Good Governance Group website and YouTube.

I also, want to “thank” Jerry Evans of 99.1 FM for being our moderator.

Also I want to “thank” the Carson Valley Museum for making the room available for us to have it so we could have social distancing for the candidates.

You can view it on the following https://youtu.be/Ie4fpegAKbs.

You can go to the Good Governance Group website dcnvggg.com and view the video also.

Bev Anderson

Fish Springs

Chicken Little

Those predicting doom and gloom as we cautiously reopen the economy ignore the psychological and economic hardship of remaining closed. These pompous prognosticators remain employed and immune from the harm done by continuing the shutdown and these so-called experts face no consequences for flawed predictions.

If their dire predictions aren’t realized, they will soon be forgotten. But if the virus worsens, they will say “I told you so.”

The sky is not falling and life is not without risk. We cannot eliminate all risk, but we are can mitigate and manage these risks. If Walmart, Home Depot and grocery stores can remain open there is no reason why other businesses can’t reopen with similar safety precautions.

If we protect seniors and those with preexisting conditions, we can reopen many areas without extreme peril. Restricting travel to and from hot spots, quarantining the sick and most vulnerable makes more sense than crippling our economy.

The world is a scary place, but we can’t allow fear to dictate our actions. We simply cannot allow the cure to be worse than the disease.

Mike Rodgick

Carson City