Correction
A story in the Dec. 17 LEO Weekly erroneously listed J.C. White as a consultant for Mainline Broadcasting. She is not. We regret the error.
BaptistWorx’n It
Thank you for the opportunity to clarify an item in the Dec. 17 issue of LEO Weekly regarding BaptistWorx and Jeffersontown Mayor Clay Foreman.
BaptistWorx is not city-owned, but a full-service occupational health and wellness center affiliated with Baptist Hospital East with three Louisville locations. The Bluegrass Industrial Park center has had a long-term relationship with the Jeffersontown Police and Public Works departments, predating the current city administration, performing such services as drug screenings, annual physicals and workers compensation treatment.
All BaptistWorx patients — including Mr. Foreman — are treated under the same stringent protocols and processes. For a drug screening, a BaptistWorx technician collects the hair and urine samples which are sent for testing to out-of-state laboratories certified by federal agencies. Urine specimens are sent to the Clinical Reference Laboratory in Lenexa, Kan., and hair samples to Quest Diagnostics in Atlanta, Ga. A strict chain of custody protocol is followed — a monitoring process to prevent tampering with the sample or the results. Chain of custody begins with collection of the urine and hair, and continues through the final reporting of test results to clients. Sealing of sample containers, transport and control of samples, receipt of samples by the laboratory, and supervision of lab tests remain under strict discipline throughout the chain of custody. If the chain of custody is broken at any point, a new test is required.
Once the outside lab has analyzed the samples, test results are sent to BaptistWorx and then shared with the patient.
BaptistWorx frequently serves walk-in patients such as Mr. Foreman, who paid for the testing at the time of service, which is also standard practice.
We welcome questions about BaptistWorx services. For more information, check our website at www.baptistworx.com or call 238-2801.
John Wortley, executive director, Baptist Community Health Services/BaptistWorx, Louisville
Michelle Caffee, manager, BaptistWorx, Louisville
Leo’s A Loser
What a disappointment to fly back to Louisville for a Merry Christmas visit only to find the front-page headline of one of the first publications to cross my eyes: “Loserville.” It’s no shock, really. The cynical, liberal, biased publication that promotes hatred, loathing and abomination is par for its course.
Never mind “Tis The Season.” Never mind charities, friends and neighbors reaching out and helping those in need. Never mind food banks feeding the hungry. Let’s go ahead and promote yet another negative, down-in-the-mouth story to make the general public feel warm and fuzzy during this holiday season.
Merry Christmas!
Daina Filiatreau, Highlands
District 10 a Zoo
I live in District 10, and the newsletter I just received glowingly compliments Councilman Jim King’s achievements during his term. Included is his role in the Center City development with Cordish, which I personally think is a poor plan. He mentions Newburg Road grinding, improvements in the University Park area, the painted viaduct over Preston, the Joe Creason Park paths and the Stoddard Johnson building, which was turned into student housing. Being planned is a huge and expensive change in the entrance to the Zoo and Joe Creason Park. And I thought we were in a recession and the mayor and council were scrambling to find money to pay police and firemen.
The newsletter stated there were meetings with area residents over the summer. I travel Trevilian Way at least five times a week and never saw any signs for meetings. One reason for a new entrance to Creason was the fact there have been two fatalities at Illinois Avenue and Trevilian Way. Are you going to re-route every street that has ever had a fatality? Fire Chief Greg Fredrick says the planned change would have a negligible effect on EMS travel. I learned in geometry that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. To put two roundabouts in the most traveled cut-through road between Bardstown Road and Poplar Level Road (where the hospital is located) will definitely affect essential traffic. The Zoo Halloween traffic is not essential and is about 16 days/nights. Please don’t punish District 10 and the Zoo neighborhood the other 349 days/nights.
Janice Beatty, Highlands
Here’s to Hope
After reading “Bleak Friday” (LEO Weekly, Dec. 3), I thought of the line from Emerson, Lake and Palmer’s “I Believe in Father Christmas” that says, The Christmas we get we deserve.
I propose a small change in 21st-century Christmas: Can we please just call that day “White” Friday? A small thing, perhaps, in honor of the pure souls of all the children — even the grownup ones — who so desperately need a Father Christmas now and again.
I know it won’t bring world peace, feed the hungry or brighten the stupid, but maybe if we can do this one small thing for Christmas, all the rampant consumerism will reveal itself for what it really is: an attempt to say “I Love You” to the people in our lives. Who could fault our over-excitement when White Friday rolls around?
Maybe if we treat Christmas better, we might all have a better Christmas. Maybe we might even deserve it.
John McDonald, Simpsonville, Ky.
Over the Ohio
I read with great interest the article on the Louisville Water Company rate increase (LEO Weekly, Dec. 3). I was mesmerized by the fact that the average Louisville Water Co. customer uses 6,000 gallons at a cost of $19.78. I would love to have that water rate! I would love to have the water rate after the 5.5-percent increase! And 6,000 gallons? I could afford to water my lawn some.
I have in front of me my latest water bill, where my family of three used 4,570 gallons of water for the month, and the water charge is $44.97, with $3.15 tax included, and the sewer charge is $66.14. And I have seen that Ramsey Water Company wants a rate increase. Is there some way Louisville Water Co. can sell their water in Southern Indiana?
Betsy Madden, Georgetown, Ind.
Unintelligent Action
After reading editor Stephen George’s comments on the local economy (LEO Weekly, Dec. 10), I thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice if government officials and business leaders responsible for the country’s economic disaster stopped whining and finger-pointing?”
Since they caused the current plight, shouldn’t they accept the bitter truths of the times, offer calm appraisals and take intelligent action? Wait! It was these people, with their advanced degrees, who got us into this unpleasant situation. Does this indicate their education failed them?
Bob Moore, East End
