There are currently 10 electric school buses operating in Minnesota, according to Shapiro, and the MPCA is collecting data on eight of them. “So I think one of the biggest things is getting people on board with making a shift that’s going to be better for the environment and better for our kids.” “New technologies are hard to get used to and people don’t really like change,” said Sarah Shapiro, who manages the electric school bus grant program at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Charging infrastructure is limited, especially in rural communities. Electric school buses currently cost nearly four times as much as a diesel powered bus. The MPCA estimates each electric bus replacing a similar diesel vehicle cuts greenhouse gas emissions by about 140 tons over its lifespan.īut cost and charging infrastructure are identified as barriers. Sichko is an advocate for seniors, fighting for affordable, accessible health care and welcoming the continuation of this topic.Going electric reduces air pollution from diesel fueled engines and lowers emissions of climate warming greenhouse gases. Ask for improved services, paid transportation, expanded funding and reinstated medical specialties because you deserve better. Those administrators who didn’t help - broke the trust of patients and donors, leaving a regrettable legacy. History will record the needless betrayal of Albert Lea’s hospital and Naeve Foundation. Why is Mayo in community care? Their focus is academic medicine, where they excel, and brilliant physician-researchers benefit patients everywhere. Maybe the city won’t have a marque brand, but we could have a provider committed to our patients. If Mayo disdains Albert Lea, sell the hospital. Pull from the $5 billion for Rochester buildings to prioritize healthcare professionals over ego-branding. Mayo, unlike other health systems in Minnesota, has multi-millions in operating income to address the shortage problem. Physicians who left conveyed the administration restricted their patient time and autonomy and buried them with excessive administrative duties. Their misleading statements overlook their role in driving away numerous skilled doctors who flourished as rural physicians. Mayo loses credibility with its never-ending narrative of the physician shortage as an explanation for every problem. (Minnesota Community Measurement-Total Cost of Care, 2022) Remember, people pay 30% more for Mayo’s community care without evidence of better outcomes. Mayo’s pledge of $14.9 million in “enhancements” and an ER remodel haven’t materialized. ![]() ![]() This isn’t the higher level of care Mayo promised, and Albert Lea isn’t the premier outpatient clinic. We have lost a local, consistent urologist, pediatrician, ENT, dermatologist and others. The consolidation has hurt seniors, and they have shared their stories of shivering in ER corridors, enduring 12-hour waits for transportation, only to discover they can’t get a bed in Austin or Rochester. Yet, Mayo doesn’t cover the same services for seniors in Albert Lea, despite calling us one entity. The foundation’s administrator (the Mayo employee) responded, “The board would never change the bylaws.” She refused to discuss the matter.Īnother ethical problem is that for years, Mayo pays transportation for seniors in Austin needing SMART Transit to and from their Mayo Clinic. Knowing there is a fund with millions, the question was posed if the foundation could help those areas. 10, where priorities of access, mental health and transportation were discussed. More concerns occurred at a Freeborn County public health meeting on Jan. Many join her in struggling to reconcile that Mayo took millions from the foundation while making billions from patients, but leaving no medical beds, ICU or birthing center. ![]() In this paper, Betty Soukup, a past fundraiser for our defunct hospital, expressed sorrow about unintentionally misleading donors. Also worth scrutiny is that a sizable portion of the $4 million donated since 1998 has been for equipment in clinics and departments that Mayo closed (e.g., $200K for vacant special care unit). Also troubling is the lack of transparency on the foundation’s outdated website, which shows no recent gifts or IRS reports.
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