profits.”
The crowd reacted to the reference to “profits.” An obese woman stood and yelled loudly, “They kept operating on my mother until there was nothing left of her. Dr. Herman kept insisting he could make her better, but all he did was make it better for him and the hospital.”
Sammie thought the woman hit a nerve with the crowd, and several others made loud grumbling noises. The atmosphere changed drastically to one more like a revival meeting.
As Littleton continued his presentation, he stumbled a bit over his words: “Two years ago, the hospital was marginally profitable. Today, Plainview Community Hospital is flush with profits, through Dr. Herman’s and Dr. English’s unethical practices. What are these unethical practices? They perform unnecessary medical tests, procedures, and surgeries. This is how the hospital has dramatically increased its revenue. Profit was gained as Dr. Herman and Dr. English risked the lives of you and your families. Profits are why the hospital has turned a blind eye to Dr. Herman’s and Dr. English’s wrongful actions.”
People in the audience forgot about Littleton andstarted chatting among themselves.
A young woman about twenty moved to stand in front of Littleton. Tears were running down both cheeks. “You all knew my sister, Irene. Dr. English lost her last March. She was just twenty-six and left behind a husband and two small children.”
An older man came up from the second row, put his arm around the young woman, and ushered her to the back of the room.
Littleton had lost control, so he sat down.
Sammie was concerned that the crowd was about to turn ugly; someone needed to gain control—fast.
Davis jumped to his feet, cupped his hands to his mouth, and produced a rebel yell. The crowd was familiar with that battle cry.
It may not have been the most professional thing to do
, Sammie thought,
but it got everybody’s attention and they stopped talking
.
Davis said, “I apologize for my weak Yankee attempt at your battle cry, but on behalf of Mr. Littleton and myself, I would like to thank you for attending this information session.”
Sammie noted that her uncle’s voice was deeper and more authoritative than Littleton’s; he sounded like a radio announcer and projected loudly enough to reach the back of the room. He was much taller, stood more erect, and generally carried himself better. She could tell that he immediately gained the trust of the crowd, the same way he secured the trust and confidence of a jury.
“The health and well-being of your community are at stake. Without health, you have nothing. We live in a dangerous world. With every breath we take, there are microbes and countless other foreign bodies that couldaffect our health. If you farm, as I know many of you do, your hard work places you at risk every day for accidents, both minor ones and life-threatening ones. Heck, anytime you get in your car you’re at some risk that a fool not paying attention will run a red light or even worse that a drunk driver will cross the yellow line and plow right into you.”
Davis continued, “These are problems we have come to expect, and they’re part of life. But it’s different when men you’ve placed your trust in betray you. These physicians took an oath to protect this community, and they placed themselves and their wallets ahead of you. Unlike the drunk who crosses the yellow line, they weren’t all liquored up. They knew exactly what they were doing. They were stone-cold sober and stone-cold-hearted.”
Davis stopped and looked directly at Sammie, or at least she thought he did. She suspected that everyone there felt the same way: he was speaking directly to him or her. Her uncle cleared his throat, took a sip of water from a bottle hidden under the podium, loosened his tie, and unbuttoned his top button. He was establishing a relationship with the audience, becoming one of them. His piercing blue eyes scanned the crowd. Sammie did the
The crowd reacted to the reference to “profits.” An obese woman stood and yelled loudly, “They kept operating on my mother until there was nothing left of her. Dr. Herman kept insisting he could make her better, but all he did was make it better for him and the hospital.”
Sammie thought the woman hit a nerve with the crowd, and several others made loud grumbling noises. The atmosphere changed drastically to one more like a revival meeting.
As Littleton continued his presentation, he stumbled a bit over his words: “Two years ago, the hospital was marginally profitable. Today, Plainview Community Hospital is flush with profits, through Dr. Herman’s and Dr. English’s unethical practices. What are these unethical practices? They perform unnecessary medical tests, procedures, and surgeries. This is how the hospital has dramatically increased its revenue. Profit was gained as Dr. Herman and Dr. English risked the lives of you and your families. Profits are why the hospital has turned a blind eye to Dr. Herman’s and Dr. English’s wrongful actions.”
People in the audience forgot about Littleton andstarted chatting among themselves.
A young woman about twenty moved to stand in front of Littleton. Tears were running down both cheeks. “You all knew my sister, Irene. Dr. English lost her last March. She was just twenty-six and left behind a husband and two small children.”
An older man came up from the second row, put his arm around the young woman, and ushered her to the back of the room.
Littleton had lost control, so he sat down.
Sammie was concerned that the crowd was about to turn ugly; someone needed to gain control—fast.
Davis jumped to his feet, cupped his hands to his mouth, and produced a rebel yell. The crowd was familiar with that battle cry.
It may not have been the most professional thing to do
, Sammie thought,
but it got everybody’s attention and they stopped talking
.
Davis said, “I apologize for my weak Yankee attempt at your battle cry, but on behalf of Mr. Littleton and myself, I would like to thank you for attending this information session.”
Sammie noted that her uncle’s voice was deeper and more authoritative than Littleton’s; he sounded like a radio announcer and projected loudly enough to reach the back of the room. He was much taller, stood more erect, and generally carried himself better. She could tell that he immediately gained the trust of the crowd, the same way he secured the trust and confidence of a jury.
“The health and well-being of your community are at stake. Without health, you have nothing. We live in a dangerous world. With every breath we take, there are microbes and countless other foreign bodies that couldaffect our health. If you farm, as I know many of you do, your hard work places you at risk every day for accidents, both minor ones and life-threatening ones. Heck, anytime you get in your car you’re at some risk that a fool not paying attention will run a red light or even worse that a drunk driver will cross the yellow line and plow right into you.”
Davis continued, “These are problems we have come to expect, and they’re part of life. But it’s different when men you’ve placed your trust in betray you. These physicians took an oath to protect this community, and they placed themselves and their wallets ahead of you. Unlike the drunk who crosses the yellow line, they weren’t all liquored up. They knew exactly what they were doing. They were stone-cold sober and stone-cold-hearted.”
Davis stopped and looked directly at Sammie, or at least she thought he did. She suspected that everyone there felt the same way: he was speaking directly to him or her. Her uncle cleared his throat, took a sip of water from a bottle hidden under the podium, loosened his tie, and unbuttoned his top button. He was establishing a relationship with the audience, becoming one of them. His piercing blue eyes scanned the crowd. Sammie did the
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