I'm so sorry to hear of this. Thank you for letting us know!

thank you for informing me of this.

This is good work, COS. It's important that we know about such things. I'll write to Mr. Semb tomorrow. (My head just blew up a little while ago.)

Yes, it's a serious situation. The decisions won't be made until July and I'm hoping that they will be able to figure out how to re-fund the endowments that pay for all this amazing care. In these tight economic times, the loss of this linchpin of the healthcare system would be devastating to many children.

This will bring a lot of tears for so many families out there, COS, as you write about here. I have known so many families that have been there getting things put right for so many kids. I will write something tomorrow to the address. I sit here shaking my head. Sadness for so many. perfectly horrible.
I have no words here.
A+++ rated.

COS,
This is heartbreaking. The Shriners have also been a huge part of your life, too!
All of this stems from the greed of Corporate America. I wonder if those heartless pricks on Wall street, the insurance companies, HMOs, Big Pharma, Big Oil, those derivative swindlers, commodity speculators, lobbyists, the politicians that allowed or were complicite in deregulation and the rest of those greedy bastards that put Joe/Jane American so far behind the eight ball that they can't see a way to get out of the hole they have fallen into, care that they are harming all these children.
Americans donate and volunteer more time and money to good causes than any country in the world. When you take away an American's ability to give by putting him/her in the poor house, you kill part of the American soul.
These closings are a direct result of corporate greed. Of course what do they care as long as they can get that new yacht or new Gulfstream. They makes me sick.
Sorry for the rant, but I feel worse for you and your daughter.

Mission, thanks. I would encourage people to write to Mr. Semb. I know that there have been rallies at some of the hospitals, too. But I have to agree that greed and lowers donations to charities go hand in hand.

this is sad and a shame, one more symptom of misguided priorities, thanks for keeping us informed

The swindlers that crippled our economy have done a damage far beyond the simple plundering of our home values and 401 K's.

Rated.

this is a shame- so many families will lose an important resource

the shriners hospitals do amazing work, and i had no idea they were struggling. thanks for bringing this to our attention, and for providing mr.semb's address here.

Hey everyone. Thanks for your interest. Obviously, this is an issue that's very close to my heart. Without the Shriners my daughter probably would not be walking today. We were shocked when we received the letter.

I sincerely hope that an outpouring of letters might help TPTB see that this is a sad and bad way to go. Once they close 6 hospitals, what's to prevent the rest from going?

It is unfortunate that health care has become as much of a business as banking. Makes you wonder what life would be like in Sweden...

And we bailed out AIG and Bank Of America?

Oh, and rated too. My question is: why aren't we screaming at Congress and why isn't this bumping Condoleezza, et al from the news cycle?

The richest country in the world shouldn't need the Shriners to provide medical care for our children. I guess it all depends on how you define "rich."

I first learned of the work that the Shriners do when several of their lodges in Florida were closing down. Though they would no longer have a physical gathering place the members still intended to carry on their most sacred work, and for these fellows it was transporting disabled children to their doctors and therapy appointments.

I was later enlightened about the wonderful work they have done with their hospitals, particularly the burn centers, but as with your daughter many other important medical specialties as well.

It is so disheartening when we see rampant abuse of public funds, misused in the form of exorbitant salaries and bonuses to executives of proven bad ability; while vastly worthwhile institutions such as the Shriner's hospitals are on the brink of collapse. Of course if one wanted to look a little deeper the argument should be that these charitable organizations (Shriners, St. Jude etc...) shouldn't even have a reason to exist because it should never be a question of a child in this country being denied treatment. We may be number one in some things (what are they now?), but there seems to be an awful lot that we are at the bottom of the barrel of.

This pisses me off.

It angers me, too, everyone. When my daughter opened the envelope I could hear her gasp in disbelief. And the skewed thinking that makes it possible for our government to bail out huge financial companies that then pay out bonuses that could potentially fund the running of these hotels will be our undoing.

At the time that I started taking my daughter to Shriners, I had no health insurance and was faced with the "choice" on a regular basis of paying for a doctor visit for one of the children or purchasing groceries that week. Nobody should have to make that decision.

Corporate greed is rampant. Everyone above has spoken about it. Imagine in occurring within Shriners Hospitals very own organizaton.

In a related story I will share what happened in our city. I've cut and pasted this story from St Louis Business Journal,
printed last August.
______________________________________________

Shriners CFO pleads guilty to stealing $828K from hospital
______________________________________________

The former fiscal services director of Shriners Hospital for Children pleaded guilty Thursday to stealing more than $828,000 from the hospital to buy luxury cars, a Florida condo, sports tickets and a Las Vegas vacation.

Robert Steven Brodzin, 41, of O'Fallon, pleaded guilty to one felony count of mail fraud and now faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and/or fines up to $250,000, said U.S. Attorney Catherine Hanaway.

He must also make restitution of $828,973 to Shriners.

His sentencing is Nov. 7.

From 2000 to 2008, Brodzin was the director of fiscal services for Shriners Hospital in St. Louis, where he created three "dummy" companies, prosecutors said. He established the fake West County Orthopaedic Supply, West County Surgical and BEI Systems Inc. and positioned them as vendors of Shriners. He then obtained unauthorized payments from the hospital by presenting checks for approval and payment in these three companies' names. Brodzin also admitted to secretly obtaining and using an unauthorized Shriners credit card for personal expenses.

Brodzin used the stolen money to buy luxury automobiles, a condominium in St. Petersburg, Fla., vacation travel and related expenses in Las Vegas and other locations, golf and health club memberships, season tickets for assorted St. Louis professional sports teams games and to fund his personal small business opportunities. "Stealing money that was meant for special needs children to fund an excessive luxury life style is one of the most egregious type of fraud schemes," Hanaway said in a statement. "Shriners is a great organization that Brodzin took advantage of using his position of trust as CFO."

Shriners Hospitals for Children is an international health care system of 22 hospitals, including one in St. Louis, dedicated to providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research and teaching programs. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns of all degrees, spinal cord injuries and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services at no charge, regardless of financial need or relationship to a Shriner.
______________________________________________

Brodzin was sentenced to less than 4 yrs for his actions. White collar crime...with "good behavior............................"

Hmmm. One good AIGesque bonus payout could cover the entire repayment. Eh?

btw, COS, I'll write to Mr. Semb as well. Thank you for providing the mailing address.

Coyote Old Style.
I remember your past Post about you daughter.
Hang in there? Yea, the White Collar Crimes ...
a wink, a nod, and the crooks ruin everything ...
~
I was 'out there' today hearing about incredible,
harsh, unnecessary,
terrible pain, sad,
and bureaucratic,
insane, heartless,
demented, creeps!
Humans are hurt!
~
I know the Shriners are in rural Western Maryland. The old geezers ride go-carts in circles at the annual Hagerstown Mummers Parade. O, Halloween.
They wear hats.
I know very little.
They do good work.
I best go snooze tho.
~
I am pooped.
That's sleepy.
I'll hit a sack.
~
Beyond the horizon?
Karma? Reap/Sows?
At health call all day?
~
In ER rooms, 'um groans?
Who? White Collar thugs?
'Um moan 'um fear ridden?
~
'Um wear black Goth dress?
'Um no get any hug comfort?
'Um go to Hades? Yup. UGH!
~
I should No vent at night? Why?
I No know? Ernest Hemingway.
I'm not a cardiologist for aches.

I'll give a pair of ankle VA socks?
I got a few non-slip pairs for Ya?
I get lost as to what to say. Hope!

The lowly -base crook do decays!
Hospitals do save people. Crook?
They destroy and wait until what?

I've empathy and private thought?
Well. That was a Cold Mountains?
A jabber banter of magnanimous?
~
Good Night. I No like Lies or frank?
Franks at the ball park cost $4:00.
So does cotton candy, a snow cone.

(this makes any sense?) I hope so.


"If it is any use to know it, I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eights of it under water for every part that shows."

Meanwhile, Bush has recently received $100 million in donations for his "library", a library for a man who disdains reading, a library that will be dedicated to painting over the image of the worst president in US history. So much for compassionate conservatism and the canard that conservatives are much more charitable givers. I wonder if these "library" donations are tax-deductible?

Read, fingered, dugg.

Certainly we Americans have had our priorities twisted far out of whack. The happy checkbooks that fund Bush's library should be just as glad to send money to pay for a cause as worthy as health for children but I suppose there's plaque on the wall of the library touting the names of the helpful people who give money to realize W's dream of immortality.

The children I met at Shriners had only one dream and that was to be able to function physically. There are some incredible feats accomplished in these hospitals every day. Selfishness, greed and hubris enable heads of corporations to skim millions in salary and bonuses. And there are patients and their families out on the street with donation cans begging for pennies to keep the hospital doors open?

Give this an up arrow in reddit.

Or better yet if you want to help the Shriner Hospitals, here is their web page on how you can support them.

Skip the latte and send them five bucks or something.

COS- Thanks for spreading the word, this is sad news. I will make sure to write a letter and let others know.

Thanks to BBE for sending me/us here. Where is the media???? Where is the media on this story?? Is anyone listening? How can this be? Has anybody gotten a hold of Marlo Thomas (as lame as that sounds, she seems to be the "face" of St. Jude's/Shriners that everyone seems to know and recognize. America will be lucky if it can live by the old Avis car rental motto, "we're number 2. We try harder." Bullshit. We don't try at all. Getting DIGGy with it. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Any one of those children could have been ourselves or one of our own. Remember that. Excellent post, COS. Rated.

Anyone who is a Stephen King fan should recognize the landscape that will be our future in "The Running Man", if we don't stop being asses and start taking care of business.

Free-V and Dokes for everyone, yup.

I am finding reddit easier to go viral on than Digg because it takes fewer people to get a post to the front page.

Right now this post is number 27 on the front page of reddit. If you have a reddit account your up arrow can help keep it there.

Thanks everyone for working so hard to help get the word out. This story has been covered, so far as I can tell, only by local media in communities that will be locally affected by hospital closings. But national coverage is sparse at best.

By the way, Marlo Thomas is affiliated with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis which was founded by her father, entertainer Danny Thomas, and has no connection to Shriners Hospitals.

Again, thank you one and all for caring.

This is Tuesday's breakfast treats?
Coyote Old Style has me wondering.
word ~ bibliothecary = library keeper.

There was a English guy:`Richard Heber.
He had an estate in 1830's of a half-million books.
He was the:`Bibliomaniac. He stockpiled vast fortunes.
@ an estate sale at Sotheby's, he had Portuguese books:`
Latin, Greek, Italian, and French volumes BUT . No read!
His waking hours were devoted to acquisitions GREEDS!
He'd buy smaller libraries in Oxford, London, Paris (Tex)!
He'd go to Brussels (great big brussel sprouts bushes?) Oy!
He event bought books in Ghent. He bought coloring books?
~
To desire to have many books, and never use them, is like a child that will keep burning a beeswax candle besides her/him while they sleep. 'Um AFRAID of the bookie gal or boy? He/she rides into the state of cowboy Texas (I love cowboys, Indians, and cowpoke Ladies) on a box-turtle? Yep. S/he rides a wild bronco with a gin bottle in the pants britches? Oh, and he/she drinks gin in a gin bathtub with Karl Rove? These creeps wish to put-off the Reaper Man. DEATH. Put death off just ...

one more day
sorry shivers
stroll through
graves stoned
skip tombstone
wait for Rigg bank
and Mr. Mortise's
sharp blade scythe.
huh. Good Coyote!

I hear a turkey too!
No sip Wild Turkey!
Smoke a Tip-a-loons!
I want some oatmeal.
Oatmeal cookie Tuesday.

Arthur, you are a gem. I do have an oatmeal cookie recipe. How did you know? Keep tuned. I'll stay away from the Wild Turkey. Breakfast will be ready soon.

Thank you.

Coyote Old Style. You gem.
I agreed with like ~ water comment. I was weary.
It was late when I read the good night comment.
I'm often accused of taking a IDEA for granted.
I was ranting about ALL GREEDY White Collar.

They need to take a purification bath in puddles.
huh:`White Collar Crooks steal a Laundromat.
Explain more clearly? It's beyond normal lingo.

I've still Not heard about a FBI investigation.
It's wearisome. Kim Doan I know bank fraud.
She lost a Laundromat, Health (hospitalized),
personal homes, and hundreds of thousands$.

I was locked-up in a bank after a FBI meeting.
I got death-threats and Shush-up? No huh.
A lawyer was stabbed 36- times from Balto.
I hand carried brief-layperson packets to DC.
I had QUIT e- mails. It's tedious. Bush boys.
Two lawyers, DA's AG, and the highest crooks.

WARNING. If a stranger calls you at night? NO!
IF some female voice invites Ya out on the town?
STAY home in bed and play a game of solitaires?
I could not find ONE dang lawyer to take a case!

Public record. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.
A Bank Fraud took place in Waynesboro, PA..
I say the White Collar creeps are ill-demented.

Ay, the sick-call at St. Pete's? Em' will say:`WHO?
Lawyers wonder if a life of crime pays? `O Phooey.
I still seek Fair Justice based on laws. Woe lawyers!

This terrible, Coyote. I will also write a letter....

COS:

I hate to say this but this is what is wrong with how the President has approached this entire economic situation. The amount of money that it would keep these hospitals going is a drop in the bucket compared to what we have squandered digging the fat cats out of their own mess on Wall Street. The inability of the Administration to prioritize is appalling. The people are getting screwed across the board.

Monte