I am very passionate about health care in our area and in the state of Georgia and I have read with interest Dr. Cox’s recent letter to the editor. I have a different perspective.

I’m proud of senators Ronnie Chance and Mitch Seabaugh and the work that they are doing to bring fairness to emergency room patients. Our lawmakers are standing up for the sick and the injured and they should be applauded.

Dr. Cox criticized the senators for supporting Senate Bill 286, which would change an unfair law that allows ER doctors to get away with mistakes and misconduct just shy of intentionally harming patients. When this law passed in 2005, it was very controversial because it lets careless, harmful doctors off the hook, and it leaves injured patients with little ability to hold their doctors accountable.

I, too, want my family to have access to good health care when an emergency arises, but I don’t want the help to be a doctor with a drug problem who makes mistake after mistake, but is never held responsible and continues to see patients.

There is something to be said for holding people responsible for their actions, no matter what position they hold, and it’s my understanding that’s all that Senate Bill 286 would do.

I guess that’s why this bill has such strong, bipartisan support. At least 11 Republican and Democrat senators have signed onto the bill, representing areas from Tifton to Athens, including Senate Majority Leader Tommie Williams, Senate Minority Leader Robert Brown, and senators Joe Carter and Bill Cowsert.

Dr. Cox clearly doesn’t like attorneys, but that doesn’t give him license to ignore what has happened to patients in the past two years since his precious law was passed. Emergency room malpractice is a reality.

I should know: My son Jason died from a medication error while receiving treatment in an area hospital. Eleven months later a second boy died from the same medication error while being treated at the same hospital.

Today, countless folks who are injured or killed in the ER by no fault of their own now have nowhere to go. Senate Bill 286 would bring back fairness and accountability to our emergency rooms, and I don’t know what doctor would disagree with that. I would ask Dr. Cox, “Why does the medical community refuse to hold themselves accountable”?

Bravo, Sen. Chance and Sen. Seabaugh. Thank you for looking out for me.

Susie Wiggin

Concord, Ga.

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