Jackson Jambalaya

Easterling will be new executive director

I hope the new Director is Dr Roger Collins

Isn't Randy Easterling already their lobbyist? The legislators do WHATEVER he tells them to do.

What's the true value (to us) of this position?

State should get rid of this Board all together and save the state money.

The legislature can't do anything to take power away from this Board. They are functioning as they should. Stay out of the business you don't know.

This board is less interested in protecting the public than in their exercise of control and power. Randy Easterling is a mediocre intellect at best - the guy is a dick.

Easterling is a Craig Mini-Me.

By rules in place, an active member cannot be selected to serve as Executive Director. I believe they must be out of office for a year or two. Dr. Easterling would actually make a good Director as he understands the day-today operations and the true issues the MSBML deal with which the general public does not. I agree, on issues you do not
understand, stay out of it.

Adding.....MOST STATE AGENCIES have lobbyist for years. Which the MSBML has not. Do your research before you sensationalize your headlines.

The MSBML doesn't need a lobbyist - they have the MSMA, with which they are closely allied. Case in point is the Physician Health Program, which was organized under the auspices of MSMA, but runs under MSBML protection - and when they get in trouble, the Attorney General's office handles their legal battles. It is an incestuous system. And yes, the MSBML does have lobbying interests, albeit "unofficially," through their codependence with MSMA. Further, the MSBML responds to the concerns of the MSMA - I can think of several "expert witness" rules passed by MSBML to place administrative roadblocks in the way of plaintiffs in medical malpractice lawsuits. Arguably, protecting the plaintiffs in medical malpractice action is the charge of the MSBML, but they have made it difficult for anyone to testify in court against a licensee.

Here's an interesting example of how poorly the MSBML protects the public - I'm going to put it in bullet points to make it really clear:

1. Dr. Paul White in Tupelo was director of Sanctuary House Hospice
2. He signed orders for morphine that killed patients and had no therapeutic indication.
3. Several people reported the deaths of their loved ones within a day of arriving at the hospice - people who had been walking and talking on arrival.
4. Experts in toxicology from Cleveland Clinic and UMMC testified that there was no therapeutic use for the amount of morphine these patients received that led to their death. (Euthanasia - last I checked, it was against the law.)
5. The case was poorly presented to the grand jury and an investigator at the AG's office resigned over the clear corruption.
6. After the grand jury declined to indict Dr. White, he decided to get even with the people who had reported him initially.
7. He wrote heinous threatening emails to 3 people, including a nurse and the chaplain of SHH. One said "You will not even hear the bullet." The other said "I will draw and quarter you and feed your entrails to dogs."
8. These emails were traced to Dr. White, and he was charged with 3 felony counts of cyberstalking.
9. Dr. White pled guilty.
10. The MSBML sent their attorney to the judge to ask him to refuse the guilty plea.
11. Dr. White was able to retain his license as a result - felonies are a disqualification.

I'm curious about what readers think of this true story. In the end, the nurses got in trouble for exceeding their scope of practice.

In fact, the orders Dr. White signed were titration orders and he was responsible.

There was also some question of diversion of the large amounts of morphine recorded - the morphine was purchased through back channels.

Jim Hood's office didn't respond to requests for comments, but there are investigators and attorneys who will talk off record and who were involved with the case. I also suggest you talk to the experts from UMMC and Cleveland Clinic.

That's how the MSBML protects the public.