Marion County Letters to the Editor: published on Jan. 7

Hospital recounts 2008 blessings;
Wishes community Happy New Year

Dear Editor,
As another year comes to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to offer a word of thanks to all volunteers, patients, family and friends, whose efforts keep Marion Regional Healthcare System among the top healthcare providers in the region.
In 2008, Marion Regional Healthcare System made great strides in medical advancements in order to improve the health and well being of the patients we serve.
2008 Advancements Include:
• Eight new physicians with specialties ranging from General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Orthopaedics to Nephrology
• The addition of a Hospitalist Program, providing patients who require hospitalization with constant care and communication
• The opening of the Wound Healing Center that makes use of the latest therapeutic methods in wound management, including hyperbaric oxygen chambers
• A new Sleep Lab, providing nighttime studies to diagnose sleep disorders
• FEES (Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing) specialists who diagnose and treat swallowing disorders
I encourage you to continue to learn the many services that Marion Regional Healthcare System can provide you in 2009, from routine care and screenings to more serious illnesses, We are here for you ... for life! Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy Holiday Season and New Year from everyone at Marion Regional Healthcare System.
Don Lloyd
Executive Vice President
Marion Regional Healthcare System

Writer unhappy about carcasses

Dear Editor,
Christmas is a happy time for grandparents to watch grandchildren open their presents on Christmas morning it’s a joyous day! To me it’s also a joyous time because I know that deer hunting season will soon be over and for another eight months I can live without the stench of rotting deer carcasses around my yard and land. Thanks to our manly environment-friendly deer hunters, we have to put up with the smell and sight of rotting deer carcasses all over my neighborhood. We also get to witness vultures chowing down on these dead animals every time I drive down the street because these slime balls have no place to dump their remains except in the yards of other people.
Then, after the season is over, they bring their unwanted dogs and puppies and dump them also, so that somebody else has to deal with their dirty problems. I live on Johnson Loop Road on the lower end of Marion County.
If you wish to see a turkey vulture, black vulture, coyote and occasional black bear or bobcat, local dogs or other carnivorous animals feeding on rotting deer meat come by and watch the carnage. This year I buried approximately 10 deer carcasses brought into my yard. I also love the response we get from our government officials which include SCDNR and the county. Their favorite response to the problem is “What do you want us to do about it?” We can expect this answer from elected officials, but I think officials paid by tax payers need to come up with a better line ...
At this time, I wish to thank these officials for doing nothing over the years and the thoughtful people that continue to dump deer and hog carcasses in our yards and throw their unwanted dogs and cats on top of the pile ... Maybe 2009 will be a better year “Happy New Year.”
Fredrick O’Neil