CHUCK MUTH'S NEWS & VIEWS 06/22/2016

MUTH’S TRUTHS

My buddy Jon Ralston, Nevada’s #2 liberal blogger with a little-watched taxpayer-subsidized TV show, um, no longer has the taxpayer-subsidized TV show.

“Jonny Boy,” as conservative Assemblywoman Michele Fiore calls him, announced on Twitter Tuesday morning…

“I'm parting ways with PBS. It's clear that I ruffled feathers, and I understand PBS' need to protect its donor base.  I've had a great time doing #RalstonLive. We interviewed most of the presidential candidates, many others. I worked w/fantastic people. I've been working on an exciting opportunity to enhance the use of new technology in delivering news and commentary. I'll be back.”

Allow me to translate…

“So few people watched my boring, obnoxious TV show that even PBS couldn’t justify its existence.  So they canned me.  But don’t worry, like herpes, I’ll be back.”

Jonny Boy also extended his “thanks to all who watched #RalstonLive…” 

Indeed, I hear he called all seven of them personally!

Not that I own a crystal ball or anything, but I did predict this would happen way back on February 15, 2015 when the Boy Blunder announced joining the Sesame Street network…

“If you thought Jon’s audience was small on NBC – and judging by the ratings, it was! – you’ll be able to fit all the viewers of Ralston Jive! in the back room of a Denny’s.  At this rate, his next gig will be on a YouTube channel.”

Seriously.  YouTube’s probably the “new technology” he’s talking about.  Although I wouldn’t rule out Etch-a-Sketch 2.0!

I also got a kick out of Jonny Boy boasting of having “interviewed most of the presidential candidates.” 

The big one he never landed?  The only one that really mattered: Donald Trump.  Trump wouldn’t give this liberal tool the time of day no matter how hard he begged.

Another funny one: Somebody tweeted that this was a “sad day for journalism.”

Oh, puh-lease.  Jon hasn’t been a journalist for years.  He’s a liberal, special interest pitchman who moonlighted as Gov. Brian Sandoval’s “shadow” press secretary during last year’s legislative session that passed the largest tax hike in Nevada history.

And adding salt to the open wound: The little-watched program was replaced with “BBC World News.”

That’s right.  Even British news will apparently draw a bigger audience than Ralston Jive in Las Vegas!

Fired from public television?

Karma.  Pure karma for a man who never met a bridge he didn’t burn.

Cheers.

Dr. Chuck Muth, PsD

Professor of Psephology (homeschooled)

Publisher / Irritator-in-Chief

P.S.  Really getting a kick of the media’s latest “big” story; that Hillary Clinton has raised $23 million to Donald Trump’s next-to-nothing.  And yet, her lead is down to single digits…and falling. 

But, um, TRUMP’s the one with the problem?

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NEWSMAX HEADLINES

• Trump Entered June With Just $1.3M in the Bank
• Trump: I'm Not Spending 'a Billion Dollars' Like Hillary
• 76 Congressmen Have More Campaign Money Than Trump
• Reuters Poll: Clinton's Lead Over Trump Narrows to Nine Points
• Poll: Clinton Leads Trump by 8 in Fla.; Dead Heat in Ohio, Pa.
• CNN/ORC Poll: Clinton Leads Trump by 5 Points
• Trump Bashes Hillary's Wall St., Special Interest Money
• Clinton Warns 'Reckless' Trump Would Trigger Recession
• Mark Cuban Rips Trump for Getting 'Stupider Before Your Eyes'
• Michele Bachmann Joins Trump's Evangelical Advisory Board
• Democrats Planning Made-For-TV Unity Convention
• Trump Rips Hillary's Speech: 'Corrupt, Dangerous, Dishonest'
• Trump's Would-Be Assassin Is in US Illegally
• Goldman: Economic Models Can't Predict This Election
• Hillary Clinton's VP Short List: Warren, Kaine, Castro

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NEVADA NEWS & VIEWS

Additional Trauma Centers Will Benefit Patients

By Jim Marchant

I have read several columns the past week in the Review Journal talking about trauma centers, as the Health Board will meet Thursday to decide whether to allow three area hospitals to get a Level III trauma center designation.  This move will allow these hospitals to better staff up and prepare for “low level” emergencies.

I have been particularly bothered by the two opinion columns from Paul Harasim.  He has taken the position that low-level trauma centers provide a false sense of security.  He then cites two cases of children who were mistakenly taken to Level III centers instead of to the very fine Level I adult and pediatric trauma center at UMC.

It is very unfortunate that these patients and their families have suffered the way that they have, but the issue is not with the care that they received at the Level III centers. Since these patients were both children, they should have been taken to UMC – the only pediatric trauma center in the valley.

This shows more the important role that the Southern Nevada Health District Board plays in educating EMS personnel and ensuring they understand the criteria for determining where to take a patient. Unfortunately, mistakes do occur, but Mr. Harasim is wrong to use that as rationale to deny the rest of the Valley access to trauma care we deserve.

Level III Trauma centers fulfill an important role in our community. 

St. Rose is the only Level III center serving the entire Las Vegas Valley, taking care of a lot of “low level” trauma patients.  But according to Health Department records, St. Rose Hospital has suffered from severe overcapacity with respect to its ability to provide emergency care to patients. It operated under “Internal Disaster” status for 35 percent of the total hours of operation from February 2014-2016, which significantly increases the likelihood of trauma services not being available.  

What this tells me is that we need more Level III Centers that will reduce the capacity issues at St. Rose, and provide patients access to care quicker. 

As an Assembly candidate running in the Sun City/Summerlin area, I have heard from numerous residents about this issue.  That area has a large aging population, and there are no trauma centers nearby.  Falls account for over 35% of all trauma transports, and the rate is twice as high for seniors.  

A Level III trauma center located in the Northwest and Southwest, respectively, would better serve the growing number of senior-living communities in the Sun City and Summerlin areas, as well as North Las Vegas.

According to The American College of Emergency Physicians, Nevada ranked dead last among all states in its ability to provide access to emergency care.  Part of that reason is that we only have 3 trauma centers to serve Clark and surrounding counties (about 8000 square miles) and over 2 million people.  As a comparison, Chicago has 6 Level I trauma centers to serve 2.7 million people.

The last time Las Vegas added a trauma center was in 2004, when two centers were approved. Since then, the population has grown 30 percent.

Additional Level III trauma centers caring for the lower-level trauma patients relieves overcapacity issues at our area hospitals.  It would also allow UMC to focus on the more severely-injured trauma patients like Giulian Grasso and Ty Whitman, as Mr. Harasim mentioned in his column.  Their stories should be lessons for us all, that we need more trauma centers in our community to protect our residents.