Leading up to the meeting, our local TV3 Winchester friend and reporter Hattie Cheek aired a story about the CDC and our fight to keep services local. Hattie has been a great supporter of our cause and has enabled us to keep our fight in the public eye. Her news story can be found here: LOCAL WOMAN FINDS SERVICES SHE NEEDS AND HELPS TO KEEP THEM LOCAL
Thanks Hattie!
At the meeting, we were joined by Kim Walter from the Northern Virginia Daily newspaper. She took copious notes during the meeting and the article was published today! You can read it here: JMU CLINIC SUPPORTS IDEA OF CHILDRENS SERVICES SATELLITE
Its a very well written article and clearly sums up our meeting! We value and appreciate Kim for her time and attention to the matter! Thank you, Kim!
Now... on to the meeting.
One of the things we had been asking for was an explanation as to where the money went. We went forward with a Freedom Of Information Act request, and this non-answer is what we got:
Kinda looks like a case of "Hide The Money" doesn't it?
As I am sure you read in the newspaper article, the JMU CDC took on a lot more than just our catchment area. Their service area is a long laundry list of cities and counties.
They have had meetings with the VDH just as we have, and are running into the same problem.
Musical Chairs.
Almost every time we have had a meeting with VDH, its been with different people. Their office has been a revolving door as far as their personnel are concerned. Every time we meet, we find ourselves having to re-hash all the information... all over again. Seems excessively counterproductive, doesn't it? The folks at JMU have had the EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!!
How are we supposed to accomplish anything when we keep having to backtrack? On top of that, we aren't getting answers from the VDH. We asked to be part of the conference call taking place this Friday at 10AM. Dr. Charles Devine informed us that we probably won't be included.
Why? What does the state have to hide? Is there something they don't want us to hear? I would hope that they had the best interest of our children in mind... but I'm not getting that warm and squishy feeling from them. At all.
JMU wants answers just as much as we do! You can only take so much of "That's a good question, we will have to get back to you on that" before you've had enough.
YOU'VE HEARD OUR QUESTIONS AND HAVE HAD AMPLE TIME TO "GET BACK TO US ON THAT" How about those answers?
To quote Rhonda Zingraff "It's almost like the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing," Zingraff
said. "It doesn't help that all of us have talked with several key players, but
never at the same time or about the same issue."
Musical Chairs.
OK people. The music has stopped. Let's everyone have a seat now and start paying attention to what really matters. OUR CHILDREN.
It's time the VDH stopped playing games with us, with JMU and with the welfare and future of OUR children.
