Daily Egyptian Spring 04
Spring '04 Edition
Staff stands to bring awareness about medical issues
Leah Williams
Daily EgyptianPhysical therapist Tom Miller said the recent trend of physicians leaving Southern Illinois affects the entire community.
"Medical care can be a domino effect with these specialists and doctors leaving," Miller said.
Miller and his co-workers at the Herrin-based Southern Orthopedic Associates took to Illinois Avenue and Main Street Wednesday afternoon. They held poster boards that read "Save Our Physicians," "Keep Southern Illinois Safe" and "Malpractice Reform Before It's Too Late" in order to educate the public about the severity of malpractice suits and their effect on Southern Illinois physicians.
"It is just to let the public be aware of the crisis of the malpractice reform," nursing surgical assistant Betsy Romanowski said.
Miller said this issue is something that needs to be called to attention.
"We are out here to raise awareness to the fact that there is a crisis in Southern Illinois," Miller said. "We have physicians leaving. More are going to follow unless something is done to stem the rise of malpractice suits."
While lawsuits are rising, Miller said the actual negligence is not.
"The problem we have is simply the suits being brought. There is no increase in malpractice," he said. "We need something to either discourage the suits in the first place or to cap or limit the damages that result."
To help curb the number of frivolous suits, Miller suggested screenings on lawsuits before they are brought to trial.
Another problem involves geography. Because of the location, it is a longer trip for Southern Illinois physicians to send patients who need treatment by specialists.
"Surrounding states don't have these problems," Miller said. "They have enacted legislation correctly. So, doctors are going right over the state lines, which is fine in Belleville or Chicago. If our neighboring states could do it, certainly [Illinois] can do it."
The gathering of the staff members along the highway was in correlation to a demonstration being held in Springfield. Miller said 200 or more area physicians closed their practices Wednesday in order to help bring awareness to Illinois legislators about the matter.
"We're out here as employees doing this," Miller said. "They are up there and really trying to get their side.
"It really is frightening. I don't think people understand that, and we have not seen signals from Springfield that they understand it either. They don't seem to see the urgency, whereas we see doctors already closing their practice. We have got to do something."
Miller said the goal of the afternoon activity was to make people pay more attention to the issue.
"We are hoping to make sure people realize that the medical community is a huge sector of employment and service to the community," Miller said. "If it is harmed, then everybody is going to be harmed. The whole area is going to take a beating."
Miller brought his 12-year-old son Christopher to the protest and said his son knows how this issue affects his father's employer.
"All I know is my dad would have to move. I will lose all my friends and my church," Christopher said.
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Last update: Friday, April 30, 2004 at 1:16:49 AM
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