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UID:34@artwithelders.org
DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles;VALUE=DATE:20220622
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles;VALUE=DATE:20220823
DTSTAMP:20220804T222438Z
URL:https://www.artwithelders.org/events/saving-laguna-honda-hospital-gods
 -hotel-in-mortal-danger/
SUMMARY:Saving Laguna Honda Hospital - God's Hotel in Mortal Danger?
DESCRIPTION:Laguna Honda Hospital\, home to 750 vulnerable residents\, has 
 recently been threatened with closure. Although there have been challenges
 \, Laguna Honda administrators and staff have implemented a variety of new
  protocols to ensure all appropriate health and safety standards. Please r
 ead below an appeal by AWE Executive Director Mark Campbell in support of 
 keeping Laguna Honda Hospital open:\n"Ten years ago\, Dr. Victoria Sweet o
 ffered her perspective on Laguna Honda Hospital (LHH) in her book\, God
 ’s Hotel\, which has served needy San Franciscans since 1866 and remains
  one of the largest institutional care communities in the country. It has 
 the rare ability to meet patients where they are and provide specialized c
 are combined with therapeutic programming not tenable at smaller care home
 s.\nI’ve been providing art classes to Laguna Honda residents three days
  a week for over 25 years through my non-profit Art With Elders (AWE) and 
 can attest to the good work and positive outcomes Sweet described.\nWhen L
 aguna Honda planned to rebuild due to seismic vulnerability and then trans
 fer its 750 residents into the new building in 2010\, AWE was invited by t
 hen Executive Director\, Larry Funk\, to consult on the design of an art s
 tudio. That invitation as well as other carefully considered programs\, cl
 inics\, well-appointed facilities/rooms\, therapy pool and small farm were
  all clear signs that quality patient care was of prime importance.\nThere
  is always a lengthy waiting list for admittance to LHH. But far too few b
 eds are available to accommodate our elder\, frail and psychologically tro
 ubled San Franciscans\; Laguna Honda remains a life-affirming oasis in an 
 increasingly hostile environment for these\, our most vulnerable neighbors
 .\nWhen Covid first appeared and began ravaging the frail\, elderly and di
 sabled\, we heard horror stories about devastating loss of life at large n
 ursing homes everywhere. At LHH\, we were terrified that we would see simi
 lar tragedy. Months progressed and there were limited reports of illness\,
  and those were managed successfully\; loss of life was kept at a seemingl
 y impossibly low threshold. LHH and its overseer\, the San Francisco Dept 
 of Public Health\, were held up as national examples. The devoted teamwork
  of skilled care workers\, combined with dedicated and nimble administrati
 on\, demonstrated how a large community like LHH could contend proficientl
 y with such a potentially catastrophic health crisis.\nAs COVID became “
 manageable” the staff faced a new obstacle: they were criticized for the
  near impossible task of policing the few desperate\, younger\, drug affli
 cted rogue residents\, who remain in dire need of a more specialized care 
 setting. These people  are at LHH because there is nowhere else for them 
 to go!  The looming opioid crisis is a real challenge\, especially within
  the compassionate framework celebrated by our progressive city.\nFirst\, 
 figure out how to solve the rampant nation-wide chemical dependency epidem
 ic\, and then hold LHH to these\, now wholly unrealistic\, standards.  Le
 t’s fix it\, not destroy it.\nThe misguided expressions of authority and
  counterintuitive policy\, have led to a “shut it down” order. It will
  inflict pain on our entire community\, but I can say first-hand that thos
 e bearing the brunt of this ill-conceived experiment are our beloved and v
 ulnerable residents.\nImagine suffering a third relapse of cancer\; your f
 amily visits regularly during your few remaining days\, and you now learn 
 that you are being transplanted far away to a completely unfamiliar home t
 o die. You’re fully aware that your devoted family will be unable to aff
 ord regular visits. \nImagine that you’ve spent much of your life homel
 ess. You finally secure admittance to LHH and have weened yourself off des
 tructive chemical dependency which nearly took your life. You’ve rehabil
 itated to a degree of physical stability\, despite having lost legs to dia
 betes. Now you’re looking at being cast back into the streets from which
  you managed to escape. Your fear is all encompassing. \nIt remains uncle
 ar to me who or what bureaucratic mechanisms bear responsibility for this 
 slowly unfolding process of cruel destruction\, but WE SIMPLY CANNOT LET I
 T HAPPEN. We can and must all do better. The cost to our most vulnerable b
 rothers and sisters is unforgivable. We need more beds\, not fewer! Destro
 ying Laguna Honda will only accelerate the critical healthcare problems Sa
 n Francisco and our entire country faces."\nLet’s keep the lights on in 
 God’s Hotel…\nMark Campbell\nExecutive Director ART WITH ELDERS\n6/22/
 22
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