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Dr. Joseph Chirillo’s perspectives on COVID-19 put him at odds with many in the medical community.
Chirillo has used ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine to treat his COVID-19 patients, who have gained a lot of exposure in conservative circles but have generated food warnings.
The doctor also believes that “masks are ineffective” and felt convinced enough to have signed a stack of blank bureaucratic documents to give to parents when Sarasota County schools imposed the masks at the beginning of the last school year.
And while he says he’s “not an anti-vaxxer,” Chirillo describes COVID-19 vaccines as “unproven,” opposes vaccine mandates, and doesn’t propose injections to other healthy or low-risk people.
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Quality Ranking: SMH ranked first in the region, 6th in the state on the list of U. S. hospitals. USA News
Chirillo knows his prospects are controversial.
“People looked at me like I was a conspiracy theorist or a sorcerer,” when he prescribed select covid-19 remedies, he said in an interview.
However, such resistance has not deterred him, and he now hopes to take his own to the region’s largest fitness firm by joining the Sarasota County Hospital Board, which governs Sarasota’s memorial physical care system.
Chirillo has partnered with three other candidates for the hospital’s board of trustees who have similar views on COVID-19. The candidates call themselves the “Health Freedom Slate” and work together to try to exert influence on one of the country’s leading hospital systems. , those who blame for the pandemic’s first missteps that have eroded public acceptance in the hospital.
The coordinated crusade of those conservative applicants illustrates how COVID-19 considerations are being executed lately through political crusades at all levels, adding sleepy careers for low-key positions like the hospital’s board of directors.
It also shows how politicized fitness issues have been over the past two years, sparking intense partisan debate.
Still, while it’s not having COVID-19 in the midst of a political crusade in recent years, the Sarasota Hospital Council’s careers are unique.
They will offer a national case study on whether conservatives who doubt how the fitness formula has dealt with the pandemic can exert significant influence on a major provider of physical care, which has gained national fame and now faces a dubious long term after years of stable growth. that have made it a regional economic powerhouse with an annual budget of $1. 3 billion and 8,000 employees.
Sarasota Memorial Hospital is a corneal target because it is a public entity, partly funded through taxpayers, controlled through an elected board, than for a political takeover.
The 4 “health freedom” applicants cannot take over the hospital’s nine-member board of directors, but they can still be a very disruptive force and put long-time hospital supporters on alert.
“If they’ve lost confidence in a hospital of this caliber, I feel sorry for them,” said Dr. Richard Rehmeyer, a member of the hospital’s board of trustees running for re-election. “And if they feel like they want to politicize anything to run for office, I’m doubly sorry for them because it’s an impressive establishment that has served this network incredibly well. “
Rehmeyer is challenged through Vic Rohe, a retired police officer and longtime local Republican activist who is on the “Health Freedom List” and 3 other candidates.
The members of the list are two nurses, Bridgette Fiorucci and Patricia Maraia. None responded to interview requests.
The four created a joint online page, healthfreedomsrq. com, and handed out cards pronouncing the whiteboard. The cards inspire the electorate to “restore lost acceptance as truth in the Sarasota Memorial Hospital System. “
Rohe narrowly lost the race to be vice president of the Sarasota Republican Party and also lost a bid to serve on the Sarasota County Statute Review Commission. “Serious denunciationsArray. . mistreatment of patients, adding death, involving the COVID-19 protocol in the hospital. “
Rohe said he was recruited to apply for the position through Dr. Stephen Guffanti, a former emergency room physician he treated for COVID-19 at sarasota Memorial last year.
Guffanti alleged in videos posted on conservative websites that Sarasota’s memorial did not treat another COVID-19 patient with whom he shared a room well, and that when Guffanti tried to advocate on behalf of the patient, he held him for hours.
In a video posted on the conservative platform Rumble through the organization Defend our Union, Guffanti says, “It’s not medicine, it’s madness. “
The video is titled: “Defend Our Union Interviews an Eyewitness to COVID Killing Fields. “
Guffanti’s allegations sparked a protest outside the hospital that drew dozens of activists who gave up the signs. One sign read: “SMH hospital or prison?Another asked the hospital to use ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine as treatments for COVID-19.
Rohe and Chirillo, the hospital did not deal with Guffanti’s allegations.
“What you want to do is you want there to be an open, full and well-documented investigation into the allegations,” Rohe said.
The Sarasota memorial refused to move on to the main points of Guffanti’s claims, bringing up privacy laws.
“Our team has worked with determination and diligence around this pandemic to provide the most productive care to all of our patients,” said hospital spokeswoman Kim Savage. our patients, caregivers and community. “
Chirillo has a number of other court cases about how the Sarasota Memorial dealt with the pandemic. He doesn’t think the mask is mandatory in the hospital and he doesn’t think hospital workers should be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The federal government has imposed vaccines on health care workers. The U. S. Supreme Court The U. S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed the order.
Chirillo also praises the remedies of choice for COVID-19 and criticizes the use of remdesivir, an intravenous antiviral drug used at Sarasota Memorial.
“I think SMH is a smart hospital,” said Chirillo, who practiced medicine for 34 years and served on the board of Englewood Community Hospital. To do that. “
Rehmeyer said promoting ivermectin, which is used to treat parasites in humans and animals, and hydroxychloroquine, which is used to treat malaria, COVID-19 remedies are a bad idea.
“Does giving a used malaria drug to a COVID patient make sense?Sorry, I don’t. . . Is it wise to give veterinary drugs to humans?Sorry, I don’t,” he said.
The FDA states that ivermectin should not be used to treat COVID-19 and that hydroxychloroquine should only be considered as a remedy in “clinical trial settings or to treat certain hospitalized patients. “
Gregory Carter, a retired AT employee
“I think they’re getting bad data and our rivals are sticking to them in a negative way,” Carter said.
Tramm Hudson, a member of the hospital’s board of trustees and former chairman of the Sarasota Republican Party, criticized the hospital’s administration, voted last year against a 10-year contract valued at more than $12 million for Verinder and is concerned that the hospital is funneling cash to a political committee.
Verinder’s contract, which other existing board members protect as a reduced price for a CEO of his caliber and track record, arguing that he could make a lot more money, is also a primary goal of candidates for physical freedom.
But Hudson, who is not running for re-election, believes Verinder and his team have admirably led the pandemic.
“I have no reservations about how Sarasota Memorial has responded to COVID; I think it’s commendable,” Hudson said. “I think the team did a wonderful job. “
Hudson said management acted temporarily to address a shortage of a source and worked long hours in stressful conditions. that required a “considerable effort” to coordinate the equipment needed for those extensive care beds, he said.
“Sarasota Memorial’s reaction to COVID in general has been historic and heroic,” Verinder said.
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Hudson believes management has too much on the hospital’s board of trustees and needs to see a reorganization. It promotes its own list of candidates.
They come with Nick Altier, Brad Baker and Thomas Dart. Hudson also backs Chirillo and Maraia and says they will be independent voices on the board, even if he disagrees with their COVID complaint.
Grief and overlapping lists of applicants make this a choice. There are also five starters in the race: Rehmeyer, Carter, Darryl Henry, Jim Meister and Joseph DeVirgilio.
Of the 14 candidates vying for seats, all but one are Republicans.
Only Republicans are running for 4 of the seats, so the contests will be in the August 23 primary. If there is no general election, the entire electorate can vote in the Florida primary, so Democrats and the non-partisan electorate will have the opportunity to influence everyone. 4 races.
The Sarasota Republican Party approves of either candidate, but the Sarasota County Democratic Party recommends Dart, Baker, Henry and Carter in the primaries.
“There are reasons to be concerned about some of the other applicants you will see on the hospital board ballot,” the Democratic Party wrote in the approval. “The Council operates in a non-politicized manner. “
Rehmeyer said he will be re-elected, along with the other incumbents, as the hospital has performed well under his leadership.
“It’s getting bigger and bigger as we go along,” Carter said. “I don’t see where we want to make a lot of those changes. . . I think we want the main criteria we have. “
Sarasota Memorial’s formula has grown aggressively, with the opening of a new hospital in Venice, a new cancer center on the Sarasota campus, and major innovations at work. These projects account for about $1. 2 billion in network investments, according to the hospital.
At the same time, Sarasota Memorial has earned a national reputation for its attention.
“I think the Sarasota Memorial has exemplary results,” Verinder said. “It’s not because of me, it’s because of the other people who paint here. It’s everyone from the housewives who paint above, to the nurses, the doctors, to the board members.
Sarasota Memorial is the only florida hospital to earn the highest five-star score from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid each year since the scoring formula introduced in 2016, has been ranked among the most productive hospitals in the country and the smartest Six in Florida through U. S. News
Rehmeyer began working at Sarasota Memorial in 1968 as an ear, nose and throat surgeon and staff leader at one point. He has noticed the expansion of the hospital and believes it is on the right track.
“In fact, the pandemic has been a catalyst for developing the division,” he said, adding, “I just hope that incumbents will be re-elected, that the CEO will remain a beacon in the long run, and that this network will continue to enjoy an institution. “
Follow Herald-Tribune political editor Zac Anderson on Twitter at @zacjanderson. You can be reached at zac. anderson@heraldtribune. com
This article was originally published in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune: A far-right faction seeks to gain influence over Sarasota Memorial Hospital