I finally did something productive today

No...no job. :-P

The local affiliate for ABC (WICD/WICS--yes, they are ABC now and WAND is NBC) did a story on MRSA in hospitals. That's the staph infection that my dad had. In this story, they interviewed a woman who lived through it, but now has terrible problems with her legs. They also went into a hospital room of a woman who has it. I completely didn't see the point in that because they didn't interview her, and all she could do was lay there.

So, anyway, what got me was that at the end of the story, the reporter announces that there was one case reported in Central Illinois and that it was only reported because a complaint was made to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Illinois does not require that hospitals report incidence of MRSA to IDPH. (Keeping up with the letters?)

This completely floored me and my sister saw the same story on the 10 o'clock news last night (they do a lot of repeating around here). She was floored also. We were told at the hospital while my dad was still living that they had to report the occurrance. Who did they have to report it to? Their superiors at the hospital? The CDC? Bozo the Clown?

I made a couple calls after seeing the report. I got the toll-free number for the IDPH to report a complaint and now they are going to investigate my dad's case. I also left a message for the reporter who is in Springfield. She called back and wants me to let her know what I find out. I don't know what will be done or what sort of penalties there might be, but I will feel a bit of vindication.