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Mediation report shows
some ongoing conflicts
(Continued from page 1.)
When a district paramedic per-
formed an advanced airway proce-
dure the patient suffered a brain
injury due to lack of oxygen and
also suffered a throat injury wherc
the procedure was done. The fam-
ily of the patient sued the district
tbr negligence and the paramedic
also sued the district after being
"fired tbr dishonesty." The media-
tion report cites no evidence that
Hoffman reviewed the incident as
required, but states that he did
assist that paramedic in the legal
action against the district, an ac-
tion which was later dismissed by
a federal court.
THE MOST publicly known is-
sue between the district and Hoff
man, however, occurred when Chief
Greene ran for the public office of
hospital commissioner. According
to the Washington State Public
Disclosure Commission as cited
by the mediation report, Hoffman
himself paid for a sharply critical
political advertisement against
Greene, running the large ad for
"three consecutive weeks in the
Mason and Kitsap county newspa-
pers." The ads bore the signatures
of six emergency physicians of Ma-
son General Hospital, including
Hoffman, and the ad copy cited
the destination-hospital transport
issues as evidence of Greene's ca-
pacities as a paramedic.
"His [Greene's] reports to us by
radio when taking care of citizens
are highly suspect in terms of con-
tent and quality..." the ad read,
and went on to say that "his per-
formance as a medic jeopardizes
the health of our citizens... (and)
he is not trusted for his medical
decision making and administra-
tive motivations by those of us who
know him best, and should not be
elected to this position."
It is worthy of note that no prior
evidence of Hoffman's doubts as to
Greene's abilities, nor those of any
other party, was turned up by the
mediator's investigation.
GREENE, IN response to the
ads, amended his written com-
plaint to DOH to note Hoffman's
"ongoing retaliatory behavior and
actions."
Finally, when Greene needed
to recertify as a paramedic, Hoff-
man refused to sign it and instead
oflbred to approve a lower level of
certification. Greene was stunned;
the mediation report noted that he
had been a paramedic for 27 years
and had recertified 10 times under
five different medical directors.
According to the report, Hoffman
had told Greene that his refusal
was based on the airlift-request in-
cident; Greene says that when he
pointed out that DOH had inves-
tigated and had fully exonerated
him, Hoffman had replied that "he
was unhappy with the results of
the state DOH investigation."
Shortly thereafter, DOH re-
quested that the fire district and
the medical director resolve the is-
sues with professional mediation.
After a thorough investigation, the
mediator proposed an agreement
which both Greene and Hoffman
signed.
Although the agreement does
not specifically address most of
the vgrious issues with Hoffman's
policies as outlined in the report,
it does include a provision stating
that if the on-scene paramedic be-
lieves a patient may require airlift
or alternative hospital destination
orders, the paramedic will first
contact the Mason General Hos-
pital physician for orders. If the
paramedic received orders that
they believe would contradict or-
ders from Harrison Hospital, the
paramedic will then contact Har-
rison and give a patient report and
request subsequent orders
THE PROVISION concludes,
"The paramedic will then follow
the Harrison Hospital orders re-
garding hospital destination."
The mediation agreement also
notes that, "This agreement is con-
tingent on the Washington State
Department of Health providing
the Mason County Medical Pro-
gram Director a letter releasing
him/her from any liability associ-
ated with the exception to his/her
policy."
In other words, Mason County
paramedics are no longer bound
solely to the orders of the Ma-
son County medical director and
should the director make destina-
tion decisions that are subsequent-
ly overruled by Harrison's officials,
the Mason County medical director
will suffer no liability.
The press release issued by
Greene announcing the resolution
carried the statement, "Dr. Hoff-
man summarized the issue by say-
ing, 'Fire Chief/Paramedic Michael
Greene is a very experienced and
highly capable paramedic and our
conflict was communication.'"
Greene considers the mediation
results to be a full exoneration of
his four years' worth of conflicts
with the county director and ex-
pects the agreement will put a
complete end to the destination-
orders issues that have dogged the
district for that time.
WDFW grantsl
are available
The Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
has begun accepting applications
from individuals and groups
seeking financial support for vol-
unteer projects that benefit fish
and wildlife.
Aquatic Lands Enhancement
Account (ALEA) grants fund up
to five major categories of proj-
ects, including habitat restora-
tion, research, education and
outreach, facility development
and artificial production. The
grants will be awarded for proj-
ects undertaken between July 1,
2007 and June 30, 2009.
"ALEA grants are a great tool
for individuals and organiza-
tions to make a positive impact
on fish and wildlife throughout
the state," said Josh Nicholas,
WDFW cooperative projects co-
ordinator. "Projects that provide
educational and recreational op-
portunities directly benefit the
public as well."
Applications must be received
by March 31. Application ma-
terials are available on WD-
FW's Web site at http'J/wdfw.
wa.gov/volunt
or by calling the
360-902-2700.
2 , e
locations
Our
Sen,ing anyone living or
in Mason or Grays
526 W. Cedar St.,
2948 Olympic Hwy. N.,
426-9701
www.ourcu.com
JESFIELD
Construction,
Serving the North Masort
since 1967
Specializing in
Re-construction
home repairs
275-6684
Frank Merrill Belfair,
Lic #JESFII'228DO
TRUCKING "
& LANDSCAPE SUPPLY, INC.
Topsoil * Bark. Mulches * Fill Dirt Rookery Rock. Crushed Rock.
Land Clearing Free Estimates * Certified Scales
Accepting Stumps, Brush and
Belfair 275-3465 Mon.-Fri.:
7
Library has busy schedule
Timberland Regional Library's
10th annual districtwide Adult
Winter Reading Program is now
underway at all 27 Timberland
libraries, including the North Ma-
son branch. For, each five books
that participants read or listen
to during the contest period, they
can fill out a form for chances to
win local and districtwide grand
prizes. Complete rules, forms and
prize lists are at all Timberland
library branches, including the
one in Belfair located at 23081 NE
State Route 3. Southwest Wash-
ington businesses and local library
Friends groups have donated all of
the prizes.
Here's a quick look at some of
the other events and activities
coming up at the local library,
which can be reached by calling
275-3232, in the days ahead:
The Belfair library presents
Junior PageTurners Book Club,
from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursday,
February 1, for ages 6-8. Meet for
a book chat, games, snacks and a
craft. Featured book: Digging Up
Dinosaurs by Aliki. Limit 15. Sign-
up is required. The book may be
picked up beginning January 25.
Cosponsored by the Friends of the
North Mason Timberland Library.
* The Belfair library presents
Computer Basics from 9:30 to 11
a.m. on Monday, February 5, for
adults. Aimed at the novice com-
puter user, topics for this class will
include basic computer skills and
how to access the World Wide Web
and the TRY home page. No prior
computer experience is necessary.
Because this is a hands-on class,
there is a limit of seven partici-
pants. Sign-ups required; call 275-
3232.
The Belfair library presents
Preschool Story Time from 11 to
11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Febru-
ary 7, for children ages 3-6. Help
your child build vocabulary by at-
tending story times. Then check
out some books and read aloud at
home. Research shows children
who hear and understand more
words will be better readers. Co-
sponsored by the Friends of the
North Mason Timberland Library.
The Bellhir library presents
Beyond Basics Computer Class
i₯om 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Monday,
February 12, for adults. Topics for
this class will include e-mail, word-
processing and the various TRL
databases available to patrons.
Participants should be comfortable
with basic computer use. Because
this is a hands-on class, there is a
limit of seven participants. Sign-
ups required; call (360) 275-3232.
The Friends of the North Ma-
son Timberland Library will meet
at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, February
13, at the library. The Friends
group meets on the second Tues-
day of each month.
The Belfair library presents
Teen Poetry Open Mic from 6:30
to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February
13, for ages 13-18. Enjoy an oppor-
tunity to share poetry with other
teens in an informal setting. Spon-
sored by the Friends of the North
Mason Timberland Library.
Cook is
NORTH MASON :
named FIBER COMPANY ,i[
all , P.O. Box 275. N, 431 Lol Yard Rd. Belfair. WA 9852
state The Place To Take Your ]
North Mason High School soph-
omore Danielle Cook has earned a YARD & WOOD Waste
second-team spot on the all-state
volleyball team. She was also
named the most valuable player by
coaches in the Olympic League.
Sophomore Maci Hunt also
earned a spot on the league's
first team while Cook's twin sis-
ter, Michelle, earned a spot on
the league's second team. Earn-
ing honorable-mention status was
sophomore Stephanie Hicks.
Contractors Welcome
[. - .. ..__- oo. .,"j
l.g,, Cm Pe: C:74
t Traile vas
__
I . (pick-.pSize)Oig I Ioad* veh’|
i __. __2_"" A...- ,M. '
,-
NO Plastics or Garbage PLEASE i }
Dr. Nancy Isbell
is joining Belfair's
A Country Veterinary
Clinic
General small animal medicine/surgery
Acupuncture certified
Internal medicine residency
23730 HE SR3 LOG CABIN PLAZA BELFAIR
10 minutes from Hwy. 16
0.2 miles south of the stoplight at Safeway
Open M-F 8 am-6 pm
360.277.3800
Page 4 - Belfair Herald section of the Shelton-Mason County Journal -Thursday, February 1, 2007
Mediation report shows
some ongoing conflicts
(Continued from page 1.)
When a district paramedic per-
formed an advanced airway proce-
dure the patient suffered a brain
injury due to lack of oxygen and
also suffered a throat injury wherc
the procedure was done. The fam-
ily of the patient sued the district
tbr negligence and the paramedic
also sued the district after being
"fired tbr dishonesty." The media-
tion report cites no evidence that
Hoffman reviewed the incident as
required, but states that he did
assist that paramedic in the legal
action against the district, an ac-
tion which was later dismissed by
a federal court.
THE MOST publicly known is-
sue between the district and Hoff
man, however, occurred when Chief
Greene ran for the public office of
hospital commissioner. According
to the Washington State Public
Disclosure Commission as cited
by the mediation report, Hoffman
himself paid for a sharply critical
political advertisement against
Greene, running the large ad for
"three consecutive weeks in the
Mason and Kitsap county newspa-
pers." The ads bore the signatures
of six emergency physicians of Ma-
son General Hospital, including
Hoffman, and the ad copy cited
the destination-hospital transport
issues as evidence of Greene's ca-
pacities as a paramedic.
"His [Greene's] reports to us by
radio when taking care of citizens
are highly suspect in terms of con-
tent and quality..." the ad read,
and went on to say that "his per-
formance as a medic jeopardizes
the health of our citizens... (and)
he is not trusted for his medical
decision making and administra-
tive motivations by those of us who
know him best, and should not be
elected to this position."
It is worthy of note that no prior
evidence of Hoffman's doubts as to
Greene's abilities, nor those of any
other party, was turned up by the
mediator's investigation.
GREENE, IN response to the
ads, amended his written com-
plaint to DOH to note Hoffman's
"ongoing retaliatory behavior and
actions."
Finally, when Greene needed
to recertify as a paramedic, Hoff-
man refused to sign it and instead
oflbred to approve a lower level of
certification. Greene was stunned;
the mediation report noted that he
had been a paramedic for 27 years
and had recertified 10 times under
five different medical directors.
According to the report, Hoffman
had told Greene that his refusal
was based on the airlift-request in-
cident; Greene says that when he
pointed out that DOH had inves-
tigated and had fully exonerated
him, Hoffman had replied that "he
was unhappy with the results of
the state DOH investigation."
Shortly thereafter, DOH re-
quested that the fire district and
the medical director resolve the is-
sues with professional mediation.
After a thorough investigation, the
mediator proposed an agreement
which both Greene and Hoffman
signed.
Although the agreement does
not specifically address most of
the vgrious issues with Hoffman's
policies as outlined in the report,
it does include a provision stating
that if the on-scene paramedic be-
lieves a patient may require airlift
or alternative hospital destination
orders, the paramedic will first
contact the Mason General Hos-
pital physician for orders. If the
paramedic received orders that
they believe would contradict or-
ders from Harrison Hospital, the
paramedic will then contact Har-
rison and give a patient report and
request subsequent orders
THE PROVISION concludes,
"The paramedic will then follow
the Harrison Hospital orders re-
garding hospital destination."
The mediation agreement also
notes that, "This agreement is con-
tingent on the Washington State
Department of Health providing
the Mason County Medical Pro-
gram Director a letter releasing
him/her from any liability associ-
ated with the exception to his/her
policy."
In other words, Mason County
paramedics are no longer bound
solely to the orders of the Ma-
son County medical director and
should the director make destina-
tion decisions that are subsequent-
ly overruled by Harrison's officials,
the Mason County medical director
will suffer no liability.
The press release issued by
Greene announcing the resolution
carried the statement, "Dr. Hoff-
man summarized the issue by say-
ing, 'Fire Chief/Paramedic Michael
Greene is a very experienced and
highly capable paramedic and our
conflict was communication.'"
Greene considers the mediation
results to be a full exoneration of
his four years' worth of conflicts
with the county director and ex-
pects the agreement will put a
complete end to the destination-
orders issues that have dogged the
district for that time.
WDFW grantsl
are available
The Washington Department
of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW)
has begun accepting applications
from individuals and groups
seeking financial support for vol-
unteer projects that benefit fish
and wildlife.
Aquatic Lands Enhancement
Account (ALEA) grants fund up
to five major categories of proj-
ects, including habitat restora-
tion, research, education and
outreach, facility development
and artificial production. The
grants will be awarded for proj-
ects undertaken between July 1,
2007 and June 30, 2009.
"ALEA grants are a great tool
for individuals and organiza-
tions to make a positive impact
on fish and wildlife throughout
the state," said Josh Nicholas,
WDFW cooperative projects co-
ordinator. "Projects that provide
educational and recreational op-
portunities directly benefit the
public as well."
Applications must be received
by March 31. Application ma-
terials are available on WD-
FW's Web site at http'J/wdfw.
wa.gov/volunt
or by calling the
360-902-2700.
2 , e
locations
Our
Sen,ing anyone living or
in Mason or Grays
526 W. Cedar St.,
2948 Olympic Hwy. N.,
426-9701
www.ourcu.com
JESFIELD
Construction,
Serving the North Masort
since 1967
Specializing in
Re-construction
home repairs
275-6684
Frank Merrill Belfair,
Lic #JESFII'228DO
TRUCKING "
& LANDSCAPE SUPPLY, INC.
Topsoil * Bark. Mulches * Fill Dirt Rookery Rock. Crushed Rock.
Land Clearing Free Estimates * Certified Scales
Accepting Stumps, Brush and
Belfair 275-3465 Mon.-Fri.:
7
Library has busy schedule
Timberland Regional Library's
10th annual districtwide Adult
Winter Reading Program is now
underway at all 27 Timberland
libraries, including the North Ma-
son branch. For, each five books
that participants read or listen
to during the contest period, they
can fill out a form for chances to
win local and districtwide grand
prizes. Complete rules, forms and
prize lists are at all Timberland
library branches, including the
one in Belfair located at 23081 NE
State Route 3. Southwest Wash-
ington businesses and local library
Friends groups have donated all of
the prizes.
Here's a quick look at some of
the other events and activities
coming up at the local library,
which can be reached by calling
275-3232, in the days ahead:
The Belfair library presents
Junior PageTurners Book Club,
from 4 to 5 p.m. on Thursday,
February 1, for ages 6-8. Meet for
a book chat, games, snacks and a
craft. Featured book: Digging Up
Dinosaurs by Aliki. Limit 15. Sign-
up is required. The book may be
picked up beginning January 25.
Cosponsored by the Friends of the
North Mason Timberland Library.
* The Belfair library presents
Computer Basics from 9:30 to 11
a.m. on Monday, February 5, for
adults. Aimed at the novice com-
puter user, topics for this class will
include basic computer skills and
how to access the World Wide Web
and the TRY home page. No prior
computer experience is necessary.
Because this is a hands-on class,
there is a limit of seven partici-
pants. Sign-ups required; call 275-
3232.
The Belfair library presents
Preschool Story Time from 11 to
11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Febru-
ary 7, for children ages 3-6. Help
your child build vocabulary by at-
tending story times. Then check
out some books and read aloud at
home. Research shows children
who hear and understand more
words will be better readers. Co-
sponsored by the Friends of the
North Mason Timberland Library.
The Bellhir library presents
Beyond Basics Computer Class
i₯om 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Monday,
February 12, for adults. Topics for
this class will include e-mail, word-
processing and the various TRL
databases available to patrons.
Participants should be comfortable
with basic computer use. Because
this is a hands-on class, there is a
limit of seven participants. Sign-
ups required; call (360) 275-3232.
The Friends of the North Ma-
son Timberland Library will meet
at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, February
13, at the library. The Friends
group meets on the second Tues-
day of each month.
The Belfair library presents
Teen Poetry Open Mic from 6:30
to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February
13, for ages 13-18. Enjoy an oppor-
tunity to share poetry with other
teens in an informal setting. Spon-
sored by the Friends of the North
Mason Timberland Library.
Cook is
NORTH MASON :
named FIBER COMPANY ,i[
all , P.O. Box 275. N, 431 Lol Yard Rd. Belfair. WA 9852
state The Place To Take Your ]
North Mason High School soph-
omore Danielle Cook has earned a YARD & WOOD Waste
second-team spot on the all-state
volleyball team. She was also
named the most valuable player by
coaches in the Olympic League.
Sophomore Maci Hunt also
earned a spot on the league's
first team while Cook's twin sis-
ter, Michelle, earned a spot on
the league's second team. Earn-
ing honorable-mention status was
sophomore Stephanie Hicks.
Contractors Welcome
[. - .. ..__- oo. .,"j
l.g,, Cm Pe: C:74
t Traile vas
__
I . (pick-.pSize)Oig I Ioad* veh’|
i __. __2_"" A...- ,M. '
,-
NO Plastics or Garbage PLEASE i }
Dr. Nancy Isbell
is joining Belfair's
A Country Veterinary
Clinic
General small animal medicine/surgery
Acupuncture certified
Internal medicine residency
23730 HE SR3 LOG CABIN PLAZA BELFAIR
10 minutes from Hwy. 16
0.2 miles south of the stoplight at Safeway
Open M-F 8 am-6 pm
360.277.3800
Page 4 - Belfair Herald section of the Shelton-Mason County Journal -Thursday, February 1, 2007