Dateline story on Oak Ridge

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

The following story, from today's Oak Ridger
<http://www.oakridger.com/>, might answer some of Ruth Weiner's
questions.  Sandra Reid has stayed in Oak Ridge and became a vocal
activist on the health issues.

The Oak Ridge community has known for a long time that this piece was
coming.  Originally it was to be shown in conjunction with a made-for-TV
movie by Cher called "Oak Ridge"--a slightly fictionalized dramatization
of Dr. Reid's experience.  On June 16 of this year, I wrote to Neal
Shapiro (Executive Producer, Dateline NBC, 126 5th Avenue, 15th Floor,
New York, NY  10011) urging that the Dateline coverage be balanced.  I'm
very disappointed that instead he provided a soapbox for a disgruntled
doctor. I can't help but think that when a medical community polices
itself to weed out practioners that are not providing an appropriate
standard of care, we should support such actions in the media, not
attack them.

By the way, state health statistics show that the two counties (Roane
and Anderson) where the Oak Ridge Reservation is located have lower
mortality rates and fewer incidences of nearly all types of cancer
(age-adjusted data) than the counties containing the major cities.
 
--Susan Gawarecki

The Oak Ridger article:

'Dateline' program revives Reid/MMC controversy 

by Larisa Brass 
Oak Ridger staff 

Why Dr. William "Bill" Reid left the Oak Ridge medical community in 1993
depends on who you talk to.

Some say he was an incompetent physician who too often cried "wolf" for
no reason. Others say he was punished for taking up the cause of workers
he believed were made ill by exposures to hazardous materials at local
Department of Energy plants.

Monday evening, Reid's story made national news.

NBC's news magazine "Dateline" featured Reid during the first segment of
its show, speaking also with local sick workers, former DOE facility
medical director Dan Conrad, former DOE Oak Ridge Operations manager Jim
Hall and Reid's wife.

Reid once worked as a cancer specialist for Methodist Medical Center. He
has since moved to Franklin, Tenn., where he is currently practicing.

On the show, Reid described what he claims are the unusual numbers of
rare diseases he found in his examination of patients who worked at
DOE's three facilities here. As he brought the concern to hospital staff
and went about seeking more information, he said, his competency was
questioned and he was slowly but surely pushed out the door.

Methodist Medical Center, where Reid worked, issued a statement this
morning, calling the "Dateline" piece a "recycled account" and "old
news."

"I actually think there was an intent to destroy him," said his wife
Sandra on "Dateline."

"I think (the program) went all right," said Reid in a telephone
interview this morning. "There were a lot more things we would have like
to have said. ... I think the story is so much more complex."

In the minds of many sick workers, Reid's situation confirms their
beliefs about the government's far-reaching efforts to keep from
admitting to and treating government work-related illness.

Janet Michel, a local activist for the sick worker community, was one of
several sick workers interviewed for the program.

"I was favorably impressed," said Michel. "I had some doubts about
'Dateline' doing a good job. I thought they did a balanced reporting
job."

Reid's story highlights problems many doctors face when treating Oak
Ridge workers, she said.

"Doctors have actually said this to us. They are afraid," said Michel.
In some cases, she said, "doctors have said, 'I don't know anything
about this stuff nor do I want to. Don't come back.'"

Jerry Kuhaida, mayor of Oak Ridge, however, called the report "a typical
sensational lies story.

"Some of the comments ... were extreme and there really wasn't a
rebuttal when it said that people were affected here," he said.

For example, the story mentioned that Reid discovered three cases of
rare kidney cancer in three months. That wasn't a secret, said Kuhaida,
because a type of adhesive had been used at the K-25 plant that was
known to create a greater risk for that type of cancer.

"I do know for a fact that it was recognized, that the source was
recognized and follow-up actions were taken on that," he said.

The city of Oak Ridge sent a letter to "Dateline" last Friday, asking
that "Dateline's coverage "fairly and accurately" represent Oak Ridge.

"Dateline" quoted a portion of the letter in Monday's broadcast.

Kuhaida said he's concerned that industries that might otherwise
consider moving to Oak Ridge will be dissuaded by stories like this.

"I know it causes that or creates that negative publicity that we really
don't deserve ... ," he said.

Methodist Medical Center's statement said, "William K. Reid and his
attorneys have lost in every legal arena against the hospital. We feel
vindicated by the decisions of the United States' federal courts and the
administrative agencies."

According to the hospital, questions were raised about Reid's
performance during his first weeks at the hospital in 1991. A peer
review investigation ensued, during which Reid "was treated fairly and
given all rights required" under law.

"William K. Reid was not removed from the medical staff. Because some of
his treatment plans were uncommon and out of the mainstream he was
merely required to have another physician agree in his course of
treatment when he would choose to treat a patient in the hospital,"
according to the statement.

"William K. Reid's concern about the environment was not voiced until
months after quality assurance physicians began the peer review
investigation. This chronology of events has been documented and upheld
in a U.S. Department of Labor ruling."

Methodist Medical Center is running an advertisement in today's Oak
Ridger (Page 3A) in response to the "Dateline" piece.

But Reid said going public about his work was not his idea.

"I was sucked into the public arena by these two competing factions,"
said Reid. "I was asked by the (Tennessee) Department of Health to
present what I was worried about."

Reid said he didn't realize the meeting would be public.

"I didn't choose what happened," he said. "It was forced on me. I tried
to keep the whole thing private and do it behind closed doors. ... I
feel like a pawn in a game between two players."

And the peer review came at his request, said Reid, "because they were
accusing me of everything under the sun."
-- 
==================================================
Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee, Inc.
136 South Illinois Avenue, Suite 208
Oak Ridge, Tennessee  37830
Phone (423) 483-1333; Fax (423) 482-6572; E-mail loc@icx.net
VISIT OUR UPDATED WEB SITE:  http://www.local-oversight.org
==================================================
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