On-call vets needed
I’m writing this letter to bring attention to the lack of emergency veterinary services for this island.
I write this siting next to my dear cat, who is suffering from an accident that left him with a broken arm. Of course, it happened on a Saturday when my regular vet clinic is closed.
They had a phone service that advised me that I could try calling other vets (so not helpful, as we both knew there were no vets that provide emergency services).
Having had a career in medicine, I understand the desire for a quality of life after work that being on call for emergencies can take away.
This is a badly needed service. Why can’t the seven vets in the area commit to a Saturday or Sunday per month the be the community emergency weekend vet? That would result in them being on call about seven times per year.
Or perhaps the government leaders could try to find some grant money to start an emergency vet clinic here.
I don’t have the answers, but I do know it is soul-crushing to have sit next to your injured pet knowing you have to face two days of their suffering with no pain meds and that they may lose their leg because of the delayed treatment.
I sympathize with the vets and their staffs and don’t want them to suffer burnout. However, I think we can and need to do better.
Tracey Grove
Keaau
DOE incompetence
A recent Tribune-Herald headline stated that we are 200 teachers short-staffed.
No wonder! Stupendous bureaucratic incompetence.
Just before the pandemic, I had two high school teachers who were brothers renting a house. They had decades of experience. The plan was to get a job here and finish out their careers. It wasn’t to be.
They filled out applications with the DOE. Months followed and nothing happened.
It got closer to fall semester. More months followed and nothing.
Finally worried about running out of funds, they looked at a job bank and contacted a mainland school district about employment. In less than 24 hours they had an online interview and were immediately offered a position.
In under one day! Not just a position, but moving expenses and per diem until they found a place to live.
Three days before they left the island, they were finally contacted by our bureaucracy about yet another interview.
Too late. They were gone.
The credentials were so exceptional that they were both hired immediately. One of them had been a long-term baseball coach and was looking forward to Hilo being baseball-friendly.
Oh, yes, they were both science teachers.
Will any of this possibly influence the dozens of people responsible for this incompetent performance?
Don’t worry, they’ve got plenty of excuses. And lifetime employment.
So with this being one of the most wonderful places on the planet to live, the next time you hear about a teacher shortage, you should view it with skepticism.
Ask yourself why?
Michael Xavier Mamczarz
Kurtistown
