2008 May 31 | Rowsey Blog

Ohio State University Making An Effort To Help Abandoned Pets

May 31, 2008

It really makes me angry to think of people that are cruel enough to abandon animals to the streets to fend for themselves, or to be killed by cars or other animals.  For disclosure purposes I must tell you that my wife and I are huge animal lovers and have recently rescued a kitten that was abandoned that we found on a busy street in the middle of the night and was very underfed.

Even though I spent 6 years at Ohio University, I never knew that college kids leaving for the summer was a major source of animal abondonment and abuse.  I’m not sure if I simply hadn’t given it much thought or because I didn’t know anyone that had done this horrible act.

I congratulate the Ohio State University for being proactive to deal with this problem.  According to the Dispatch, the university created a new program to provide temporary shelter for these animals until permanent homes can be found.

College students looking to leave their pets behind as they leave Columbus for summer break will have an alternative this year.

A group of Ohio State University students has teamed with the Capital Area Humane Society to provide homes for unwanted pets.

Too often, students leave pets behind in empty houses or apartments, or they release them into the streets, said Jodi Buckman, executive director of the humane society. She said the shelter receives more calls about abandoned animals in campus-area neighborhoods at the start of summer break each year.

Yesterday was the last day of classes for the spring quarter.

“We really want to help students do the right thing for their pets,” said Ohio State sophomore Pamela Bollinger, one of the team leaders for the Safe Summer program. “We want them to realize that there are options.”

Veterinary students in the OSU Shelter Medicine Club are promoting the program through a mass e-mail to all students, as well as on fliers and a Web site.

The humane society will house and care for animals at its shelter until a family can be found to adopt them.

“We are essentially the destination shelter,” Buckman said.

The humane society’s shelter has no limit on the number of animals it can take at one time, Buckman said.

When students contact program members, they will discuss options for their pets, Bollinger said.

She said her group is willing to help students with any type of pet: “We are not going to be judgmental.”

The students will work with the College of Veterinary Medicine to transport the pets to the animal shelter, Bollinger said.

Any students interested in working with the Safe Summer program to find a home for their pets can e-mail the group at safesummer@ osu.edu.

Congratulations to Ohio State for this wonderful act of kindness.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Education, Social Causes, ohio | 1 Comment 

Do Smoking Bans Impede the Rights Of Patrons?

May 31, 2008

Two Central Ohio bars are challenging a local smoking ban which resulted in investigations and fines being assessed.  According to the Dispatch a local Moose Lodge and Zeno’s Victorian Village are slated for hearings resulting from patrons smoking in their establishments.

At one, the Loyal Order of Moose lodge, 1970 Schrock Rd., they’re mum about the upcoming encounter. A woman who answered the phone said nobody would talk about the hearing and refused to say whether patrons still are smoking at the lodge.

City officials suspect they are.

Roy Walls, who owns Jack’s Corner Pub, 2480 Summit St., said he’s a bit frustrated with the situation.

Walls said he has enforced the ban since last year, much to the chagrin of many patrons.

Some women sneak smokes in the bathroom and other customers have torn down his “no smoking” signs and snuffed out cigarettes on the sign outside, Walls said. He’s pretty sure that the last fine his business received was prompted by a ban-hating customer who lit up when he recognized the city inspector.

“When it was 10 degrees and snowing outside this winter, they were raising Cain,” said Walls, who thinks the choice of whether to allow smoking should be up to individual bar owners.

I’m tired of smokers whining about these bans.  They were voted on in a democratic process and the majority of us do not want the second hand smoke.  Don’t we have rights as well?

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Ohio Government, Politics, ohio | 4 Comments 

United Healthcare Dictates Health Care Decisions In Ohio

May 31, 2008

A letter to the editor in the Columbus Dispatch details the problems with big healthcare companies dictating the care that their customers will receive.  This is an example of when the market does not work to protect patients rights.  Who is looking out for the little guy?

The recent public skirmish over participation contracts between OhioHealth and UnitedHealthcare serves as a stark reminder of how dysfunctional the priorities are within the current health-care environment (Dispatch article, Wednesday). Disagreements and contract disputes between providers and insurance companies are nothing new and have become part of the process — albeit a process that has gotten out of control.

In this instance, a disturbing letter from UnitedHealthcare was sent to all patients of physicians who admit patients to OhioHealth hospitals. This letter informs patients that their doctors “will no longer participate in UnitedHealthcare.” This letter provides no background to the patients about the fact that there is a business dispute between the insurance company and hospitals — which has nothing to do with the patients’ physicians.

The letter merely provides instructions about how to find new physicians. The lack of clarity and context by the insurance company is callous, at best, and has caused needless confusion and turmoil to thousands of patients and hundreds of physicians.

While tensions heat up over costs and reimbursement rates, UnitedHealthcare has completely and repeatedly pushed patients and their physicians to the bottom. This way of operating clearly underscores that in today’s health-care environment, patients are not even close to being considered customers.

Of most serious concern is that the patient-doctor relationship is being threatened by UnitedHealthcare in a cavalier way. Informing thousands of central Ohio patients that their physicians will no longer be in network, without a truthful explanation, is disturbing and threatens good health and good health outcomes. UnitedHealthcare, at a very minimum, should allow for a longer and more efficient transition period as to not cause unneeded stress and anxiety.

The patient-doctor relationship has always been a powerful, personal partnership and is the basis for good medicine. However, over the years, that partnership has become repeatedly strained and is attributable to third-party influences within the health-care system.

Physicians are being viewed by insurers as commodities, cogs in a huge medical machine, instead of as people practicing the art of medicine. The strategies of managed-care organizations such as UnitedHealthcare often place physicians in the middle between patients and insurance companies, by restricting provider networks, limiting what medical conditions and treatments are covered and pressuring physicians to practice in a sort of industrial, assembly-line way, seeing the “right” number of patients every hour, and for lower reimbursement. Physicians and patients who are subjected to such rules and restrictions understandably feel a lot of pressure.

There are real consequences resulting from these bad health-care policies. The communication between physicians and their patients directly affects the diagnoses, treatment plans and adherence to the agreed-upon treatment plans. And, having physicians understand and relate to patients on a deeper level can, in the long run, save time and money.

Years of medical history and a strong relationship between doctors and patients really come into play when treating the individual. It cannot be made up by medical testing and a revolving door of physicians.

The relationship between patients and doctors is good medicine. The blatant disregard of the patient-doctor relationship by UnitedHealthcare should have everyone questioning the current health-care system.

PHILIP H. CASS
Chief executive officer Columbus Medical Association

It is time for someone to look out for all of us.  In Columbus, this means that a patient cannot go to major hospitals like Riverside and Grant.  Patients all over Central Ohio can no longer see the doctors that they have been using for years.  The free market is not working here.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under ohio | 9 Comments 

Obama’s Resignation From Trinity Church - It’s All Politics

May 31, 2008

After months of voters calling for Obama to resign from the church that he attended for 20 years after all of the hateful comments that came from his spiritual advisor, today Obama finally bowed to political pressure and resigned from the church.

You might think that I am being cynical about his motivations.  You’re right.  I am.  I think that this was purely a political decision, much like his decision to remain in that church for two decades listening to someone spew anti-American propoganda from the pulpit.

In my opinion, it’s a nice try but it is too little too late.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Barack Obama, election | 1 Comment 

Dems Give Michigan and Florida Delegates “Half-Votes”

May 31, 2008

The Rules Committe decided today amid much contoversy that the delegats of both Michigan and Florida should not receive a full vote.  I guess they aren’t equal in the eyes of the law.

As I have stated before in this blog, I do think that Michigan was a unique case.  Obama removed his name from the ballot so I completely understand the contoversy with that election.  However, in the case of Florida, all names were on that ballot and noone campaigned.  To say that Clinton is cheating because she wants the delegate proportioned in accordance with the election is completely false.

I think the democratic party hurt itself today with the millions of people that support Senator Clinton.  This does not help to unify the party whatsoever.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, election | 1 Comment 

Patrol the Borders

May 31, 2008

I write this at the peril of sounding like a right-wing control the borders kind of guy.  I’m not.  And furthermore, I think that our immigration laws are far too stringent.  But it is cases like these, reported in the Columbus Dispatch that make me angry about the current situation.

Immigration officials are seeking a Panamanian national and Far West Side resident who returned to the United States after being deported.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement office is searching for Daniel Arturo Batista, 32, who is wanted on federal charges of re-entering the United States after being deported for felony charges of identity theft and document fraud.

On Thursday, immigration officials attempted to arrest Batista at a home on Thumbleweed Drive, but Batista resisted and fled.

He recently was employed as a cable-television installer in the Columbus area.

The arrest warrant was issued by the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio.

Batista’s criminal history includes arrests for burglary, kidnapping, rape, discharging a weapon, resisting arrest, theft and drugs. He has served time in prison in Georgia for burglary and in Ohio for sex offenses.

He was previously deported to Panama from the United States by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Dec. 29, 2003. He re-entered the country illegally shortly thereafter and has been using the identity of an individual from Puerto Rico, immigration authorities said.

Batista has distinguishing tattoos on both of his arms: a cross with flowers on his right upper arm and a tribal band on his left upper arm.

Anyone with information should call police or the Columbus immigration and customs office at 614-469-5705 during normal business hours, or the Law Enforcement Support Center at 1-866-347-2423 after hours.

Good law-biding people that want to come to the United States to make better lives for themselves should have more access to becoming citizens.  The trash needs to kept out.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under ohio | Leave a Comment