In Florida, right-wing extremists come for the hospitals now

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/30/florida-hospital-conservatives-sarasota-election/

No paywall
https://archive.ph/jRYrn


SARASOTA, Fla — When his blood oxygen dropped to what he described as a critically low level in September, Victor Rohe knew he had “a bad case of covid.”

But like growing numbers of conservatives here in southwest Florida, Rohe didn’t trust the doctors at Sarasota Memorial Hospital to treat him, even though it’s part of one of the state’s largest and highest ranked medical systems.

Rohe, a longtime Republican activist and self-described strict “constitutionalist,” instead rented his own oxygen unit and hooked it up at home. For the next several days, Rohe battled his coronavirus infection in his living room, relying on medical advice from friends and family members.

“If I went to the hospital, I believed I would die,” said Rohe, pointing to online videos and conspiracy theories he watched raising questions about the care some coronavirus patients received at the hospital.

Now a year later, Rohe is part of a slate of four conservative candidates trying to take over control of the board that oversees Sarasota’s flagship public hospital, highlighting how once-obscure offices are emerging as a new front in the political and societal battles that have intensified across the country since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

*snip*

[MagickMuffin]

1. We'd better start preparing to do the same

We can't sit on the sidelines while they are actively running for school boards, and now hospitals. We have been given a warning shot and we best be prepared to defend our schools and hospitals from education and science from idiots like Victor Rohe

[Demovictory9]

6. Agreed..they get control of hospitals and gawd help us

[mopinko]

11. you got that right. back in the day, the cook co board pres woke up 1 morning and

ended abortions at cook county, one of the biggest and best public hospitals in the country at the time. kept the septic abortion ward in business for another decade or so.

[Timeflyer]

2. The coming election is now literally a matter of life or death imo

I was okay with Florida being famous for being weird. Now we're known for being stupid and evil.

[Demovictory9]

7. Yep

[Turbineguy]

3. Rohe can chase away all the good Doctors and Nurses

and then he'll be right.

Let's put the crackpots in charge.

[Diamond_Dog]

4. Unbelievable they don't see the irony

“The Sarasota candidates, at least three of whom are skeptical of coronavirus vaccine mandates, are rallying behind the theme of “medical freedom.” The term is increasingly being utilized by the conservative movement nationwide and hits a belief that patients aren’t given enough control over their medical care.”

I guess that doesn’t include women??

[milestogo]

5. Medical freedom freedom to die of stupidity

[Deep State Witch]

8. OMG!

Sarasota Memorial just put in a big hospital in Venice, and would probably be where my MIL would go if she was taken there. It's bad enough that her old doctor died of COVID because he didn't get vaccinated - and was still seeing patients! Thank the Gods that she's still wise enough to be vaxxed and boosted herself. She did manage to catch the C, but it was from visiting with her loony sister in Indiana.

[FloridaBlues]

9. Maybe the hospital board better vet these candidates more closely otherwise they will regret

Putting these vax deniers on the board

[dalton99a]

10. The real death panel.

[NCDem47]

12. Can only imagine what else they'll dictate should they gain power.

Forget about providing care with compassion and without bias or prejudice. LGBTQ community would get the shaft big time. Even if someone was legally married, a nurse or admdimsitartor could deny equal care to the patient or access for the partner because it went against someone's "religion."

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

13. Bleach, Ivermectin and UV lamp enemas are good enough for them.

[rockfordfile]

14. They should move to Russia. All they're doing is pushing Russian anti-American bs

[IcyPeas]

15. so when you are admitted to the hospital will you have to say if you are a democrat or republican?

probably.

what qualifications does one need to sit on a hospital board?