Patients were reported dying needlessly in hospitals across the nation because of incompetent physicians staffing the emergency rooms and some inexperienced residents left alone to practice medicine without supervision! This report did not take us by surprise in any way. In December 1993, this company published a book, Overcoming the Invisible Crime by 'Yinka Vidal an ex-lab manager who exposes serious management problems in St. Louis hospitals and numerous patient deaths. Since then, we learned this problem is not restricted to St. Louis alone, it is a national epidemic. The book was not initially well taken by the news media until now. We, in news media are too busy either making stories, creating impressions or twisting people's minds instead of reporting news. The quality of American news is eroded by insatiable appetite for scandals about other people's private lives, windows in their bedrooms and their hidden desires as tabloid voyeurism becomes multi-million dollars business. We cared more to discuss foot-fetish, trash in celebrity's closets, homosexual marriages, transvestites and needless ridiculous family confrontations than discuss real issues to help people and learn more about what is happening around us. The approach is sensationalization than excellent journalism. The media has developed certain prejudices and desires for issues which they shove down people's throat at the same time arguing that the public loves the show. The amount of time devoted to OJ's case by the media for example is sinfully offensive! When you are not left with much choices of anything worthy to eat, during starvation garbage taste very good!

Overcoming the Invisible Crime discusses serious crisis in hospital managements and many patients' sufferings and deaths. It was written to educate the public about protecting themselves and their loved ones when admitted into hospitals against errors and mishaps. These are the real issues about the untold stories and the unanswered questions about health care reform. They are the incidents that actually motivated the government's intervention. The arguments up till now is about who will pay for the cost while the real issue of increased cost and poor quality of care are not addressed because most people looting the health care revenue want to leave the situation status quo. The public is therefore confused as our present intervention may be more dangerous than our original problems.

Initial problems were created when many hospitals, physicians, pharmaceutical companies and insurance agencies were looting the revenue and continue to jack up the prices. Part of the hospitals' responses is to go from service care to managed care. This idea is fine but the system is being monitored by unqualified personnel causing dangerous staff shortages in hospitals across the nation. Nurses, lab techs and many other hospital workers are yelling for help! But the hospital administrations refuse to listen while increasing their own personal staffing. They want to make more money and have forgotten about their obligation of the "mission of mercy" turned to the "business for the greedy." While working understaffed, many hospitals can be considered a death trap. Who is the next victim?

The news media usually don't respond until many patients have died or if it happens to their loved ones. Meanwhile, the hospital killings continue and you or your loved ones may be the next target! Don't worry about socialized medicine, it's already here under the facade of managed care. The highway robber is dressed in a priest's outfit!

Educate yourself about the real issues read the book, "Overcoming the Invisible Crime," 352 pages, $19.99 published by Lara Publications of St. Louis, Missouri. 800-599-7313. Fax, 314-653-6543.

This media release by Lara Publications of St. Louis for the press, Sept. 8th, 1994