Stinson Indicted On Second Charge, Pitino Goes Sideways, Flees

Okay, everyone. Two (2) big news items today.

- Yesterday former PRP Football Coach Jason Stinson was indicted by a grand jury for an additional charge of Wanton Endangerment related to the death of player Max Gilpin. The CJ has the story HERE. Stinson is scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.

- UofL Basketball Coach and part-time "Swordsman" Rick Pitino has laid a huge egg and, according to my personal team of advisers, will not coach another game for the university. Read more HERE. And place your bets.

Latest Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital Update

As most of you are aware, the flash floods that hit Louisville on August 4 caused the need to evacuate Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital. Patients were discharged or transferred to other facilities in the city, primarily Jewish Hospital and Norton Audubon Hospital. Since that time, we have been working diligently to reopen services, as we know that Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital plays a vital part in providing access to health care to the south Louisville community.

I am pleased to inform you that our Emergency Department, the second busiest in Louisville seeing nearly 45,000 patients annually, will be reopening tomorrow, Wednesday, August 12 at 8:00 a.m. along with our radiology and lab departments which provide key support to the emergency department. Because of the volume of patients we serve, this has been our top priority in reopening. Also open on the Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital campus is the Women’s Center, Surgery Center (which provides outpatient surgery), Sleep Center, Wound Healing Center, Frazier Rehab, physician offices and Diabetes Education classes.

At this time, we do not have an expected date as to when the hospital will be fully operational. We hope to begin reopening inpatient beds and units in phases as soon as possible. In the interim, as a part of Jewish Hospital & St. Mary’s HealthCare, we are fortunate to be a part of a system that allows us to seamlessly transfer any patients who visit our emergency department needing inpatient care to Jewish Hospital. Many of our Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital team members are located at Jewish Hospital and other JHSMH facilities providing care to these patients.

Continuous updates on the status of operations are being provided at www.jhsmh.org/smehupdates, www.facebook.com/jewishhospital and www.twitter.com/jewishhospital. In addition, a phone line with updates has been developed for community members to call – 502-409-3069.

We appreciate the support shown by the community we serve during this difficult time.

Jeff Polson
Vice President
Marketing/Communications
Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's HealthCare

Flood Damage Dump Site

My good friend Trevor at The Local Weekly has some information on the dumping of flood damaged debris. Here it is:

Mayor Abramson announced that residents living in areas that suffered the heaviest rainfall this week will have three sites to drop off flood-damaged household goods at no cost. Citizens may also dispose of damaged items at the Waste Management Landfill at 2673 Outer Loop over the next two weekends for $16 per pickup truck load. “It is imperative that people get these wet items out of their basements and living quarters as soon as possible,” Abramson said. “Letting those soaked household goods stay inside the house just invites mold and mildew growth, which can be hazardous to your family’s health.”
Three Neighborhood Drop-off Sites to Open Friday
City officials pored over rainfall maps and corresponding flooding reports to determine where to locate three flood drop-off sites. Most of the heaviest rain and corresponding damage was downtown, toward the city’s western edge, and south toward Shively. Based on that data, the drop-off locations were chosen for ease of access for residents of those flooded areas.
The free drop-off sites will be open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily, beginning Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 16. Gates will close promptly at 8 p.m. Sites will be staffed 24 hours a day to make sure items are not dumped outside of the scheduled hours. Each site will have several large dumpsters to deposit flood damaged household goods. Residents must unload their own vehicles.
The three sites are:
•Morris-Forman Treatment Plant, 4522 Algonquin Parkway
•Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium, Green Parking Lot, Floyd Street just south of Central Ave.
•Old Phillip Morris Plant parking lot, 18th and Broadway
Acceptable flood damaged items include:
•Furniture
•Carpeting
•Clothing
•Appliances (there will be a special dumpster for appliances with Freon, such as refrigerators and air conditioning units)
Unacceptable items include:
•Yard waste and tree limbs
•Construction materials
•Tires
•Raw garbage
No contractors will be allowed to dump items at the free drop-off sites. Commercial vehicles, vehicles larger than a pickup truck or those with trailers larger than 8 feet will not be allowed on the sites. License plates will be verified for residency; no out of town vehicles will be allowed to visit these sites.

Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital Update

I have received the following from CM Doug Hawkins' office regarding the condition of STS. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital in Southwest Louisville:

Flooding rains last week caused the Emergency Department at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital to remain closed until further notice. Damage to the infrastructure was substantial, including mechanical systems, electrical systems, phone systems and boilers/chillers. (To put it into perspective, the influx of water moved the fifty-year old boilers weighing over 10 tons off their foundation.)

Progress continues to be made at Sts. Mary & Elizabeth Hospital where additional services continue to reopen. The hospital’s main goal is reopening the emergency department, along with the laboratory and radiology departments this week.

Now open:
Physician Offices
SMEH Surgery Center (outpatient surgery) 502-366-9525
Diabetes Education Center at SMEH Plaza I, Suite 202B. – need to have a referral
Sleep Center 502-554-3537 (temporary number)
Wound Healing Center 502-439-7275 (temporary number)
Frazier Rehab Institute at SMEH 502-439-9585 (temporary number)

Opening on Tuesday, August 11:
SMEH Women’s Center at 11 a.m.

Areas that remain closed at this time:
Emergency Department
Hospital inpatient beds

Coffee With Your Councilman - August

“Coffee with your Councilman” set for August 15th
Residents invited to talk with Blackwell on issues

Louisville – Councilman Rick Blackwell is once again issuing an invitation to residents of District 12 to come out and meet with him over coffee on Saturday, August 15th.

“While the city’s budget may be on citizen’s minds, I am happy to talk about any topic of concern,” says Blackwell. “We like to keep the discussion open, no set agendas.”
“Coffee with your Councilman” will take place at Sister Beans, 4956 Manslick Road beginning at 10:00am.

“I know it is summertime and this may be the best time for some people to come out and let me know if there are any concerns they have in the district,” says Blackwell. “We keep it very informal.”

For more information about the June “Coffee with your Councilman”, contact Councilman Blackwell’s office at 574-1112.