Letters about Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare

These are letters sent in to the journal times

Good care from doctors

I just read in the paper the article on how much money Dr. Branko Prpa made in 2008.

To me he is worth every dollar. I had a major back surgery done by him in 2005.

If Dr. Prpa leaves I think it would be a big loss to the people of Racine and Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints. Dr. Prpa is a very talented doctor.

By the way you did not tell how much the head of Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints made at that time.

How much money did Dr. Prpa bring into All Saints?

I have had very good luck with the doctors at All Saints. They have always given me good care and the time needed to explain everything. The nurses are also outstanding.

John Morrow

Racine

Times have changed

I read in the paper where a Racine doctor made almost $2.5 million in one year. To show how things have changed … that is more than I made in my entire 36 years of medical practice (1950-1986). In fact, it is more than our clinic of about 30 doctors made in one year back then. As I say, times have sure changed!

William J. Madden, M.D.

Racine

Patients upset, too

As a patient at St. Mary’s Hospital, I have had nine surgical procedures since 2002, during which I received excellent care.

However, I am extremely upset to find out that the anesthesiologists at St Mary’s are now no longer doctors nor board certified. The surgeons aren’t the only ones upset. We, the patients, are even more upset.

This is very serious. Nurse-anesthesiologists, no matter how excellent, do not have the education nor experience of doctors and a small mistake could cost a life or, worse, leave somebody in a vegetative state. A doctor who is taking care of two operating rooms cannot be in both rooms at once.

Just because Wheaton is comfortable with this, does not mean the patients are. I want a Dr. anesthesiologist taking care of me during my surgeries. If you are going to offer surgery, then you most definitely had better have doctors administering anesthetics.

You are setting medical science back 100 years. Does this mean we all have to go out of town for our surgeries in the future? What, then, is the sense of having a hospital here? Perhaps what we need is another hospital in Racine. There is certainly nothing like good old-fashioned competition.

Wheaton should get its act together and fix what is wrong, so that our fine doctors do not leave Racine and so our citizens are not put in danger when they are surgery patients at St. Mary’s. Hire a team of doctor anesthesiologists immediately. Wheaton has built a wonderful facility here. So they should staff it with the best doctors in every department. What good is a hospital without doctors?

Rose Ann Iaconetti

Racine

Employees harassed

Wheaton Franciscan has more problems then just with doctors and the billing. Employees who are there and have been there are constantly harassed. One is constantly pushed and pushed. Do more work, get done faster, and one somehow does not meet the “standards” then the pressure is on to fire the person. I myself heard that I was going to be fired every day for two months. What a way to live each day. Employees are not treated as humans, but as working robots. Many employees, if they could, would leave. There is much to be desired at Wheaton Francisan. If we did not like our doctor there we would go somewhere else. Wake up Wheaton, before it is too late.

Ann Bertling

Racine