Over the past two weeks, NewsLanc has twice made inquiries of John Lines, Director of Public Relations, concerning the date, time and location of Lancaster General Health’s annual meeting, the only one that they allow to be open to the public. So far, no response.
Incidentally, LGH has raised the wall of secrecy still higher concerning the public charity’s operations. It has become even more difficult to determine the names and contact information for Lines and others in his department from their web site. Imagine, a spokesperson who hides from the public and media!
What are they concealing? Usually where there is smoke, there is fire.
Robert,
I noticed on your website that you would like to know the date, time and location of the Lancaster General Hospital annual Open Board Meeting. It will be held Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, beginning at 3 p.m., in the Stager Auditorium at Lancaster General Hospital. It is typically held the third Thursday of each November. As before, we’ll publish an advertisement in Lancaster Newspapers and post the meeting information on our website, beginning in mid-October.
Unfortunately, I did not receive your emails. However, I have received emails from your assistant, Jilly, as recently as March 2, 2011.
As you have in the past, call me anytime on my direct office line, 717-544-5054. You can also call my cellphone, 717-468-8303; FAX, 717-544-7771; or via email at [email protected]. You and I have previously used all three forms of communication. Also, you can always call our health system’s main number at 717-LGH-INFO as well, and ask for me.
Contact information for me on LG Health’s website can be found through various means. You can type in my name in our website’s search box, or the Public Relations Department’s contact information is in our News Room, in the site’s About Us section. You can also use our website’s Contact Us section to send us an email.
Thanks.
EDITOR:
John:
Thank you John for providing your updated e-mail address. I regret that my using an obsolete one may have led to a miscommunication.
But what is obvious is that the LGH web site obfuscates to discourage visitors from identifying management from the president on down. Even the media — let’s say the New York Times – must send an e-mail address to Public Relations with the hope of receiving a response. It wasn’t this way in past years.
Most organization list an “About Us” and one can find the appropriate point of entry. LGH has a directory…but it is restricted to employees.
I regret the misunderstanding because of my using an out-of-date e-mail address for you and apparently others at LGH. But I deplore the fortress attitude of LGH concerning contacts with the public, such as closed board meetings. And I am outraged at the tokenism of the use of its vast profits, largely resulting from its monopolistic position, when it comes to funding public health and education efforts, which is allegedly a core mission.
A lethal case in point is LGH’s refusal to support syringe exchange and thus turning its back on thousands who might be protected from contracting HIV /AIDS and other social diseases. Furthermore, syringe exchanges are the threshold for helping addicts to obtain treatment elsewhere and return to becoming productive members of the community and their families.
It is hard for me to understand how so many good people can be acting so badly. I am eager to read the LGH’s 990 Federal Report for 2009 / 2010 when it is released to see if LGH has heeded the call and been more suspportive of others over the past year.
Kind wishes.
Robert