When doctors rely on attorneys who lie: Tri-City Healthcare attorney contradicts her own witness

Bonnie Dumanis' Public Integrity Unit seems to be confused about who the perpetrators are when it comes to bribery at Tri-City Hospital:

...On April 25, Elsner said, she received a call from the former intern, again asking for information. Elsner said she told her that it was not a good time to contact her because she was going through personal and financial issues, including a car that needed the engine replaced, which would cost $3,000.

“She said, ‘Charlie could help you out, right?’” Elsner said. “And then Charles said, ‘Of course. All we need you to do is talk to these people and tell them what you know about Sterling.’”

Elsner said she did not accept any money. She said she told her story to District Attorney’s investigators, who took no action on a Tri-City complaint against Sterling regarding the incident. The DA’s office declined to comment...

Paralegal says Tri-City report is wrong
She balks at hospital's version of events involving board member Kathleen Sterling
Aaron Burgin
SDUT
Nov. 17, 2011

Oceanside — In making their case that elected Tri-City Healthcare District board member Kathleen Sterling should remain excluded from closed session meetings for the rest of her term, administrators cited what they considered traitorous activity.

At a meeting last month, Tri-City attorney Allison Borkenheim offered a sworn affidavit saying that paralegal Linda Elsner informed district officials that Sterling in 2003 or 2004 divulged confidential information to her law office, which was suing the district.

In response to the report, the public hospital board voted 5-1 to keep excluding Sterling from closed session, where issues such as CEO Larry Anderson’s performance and the strategic direction of the hospital are discussed.

The Watchdog contacted Elsner to verify Tri-City’s statements. Elsner said Tri-City officials misrepresented what she said — that she specifically told them Sterling shared only public information.

“How can they get away with this?” Elsner said. “How can they say I said these things and put them out as fact when I didn’t say them?”

Tri-City officials declined to be interviewed and issued a statement that they stand by Borkenheim’s affidavit and the belief that Sterling divulged confidential information to Elsner...



COMMENTS

Heather Sterling
The integrity unit fails in integrity... My guess, they forgot they are supposed to protect the innocent and go after the perpetrators. Diverted tactic's, out-right lies, and evaded truths have made for a very frustrating year and a half! Who is the DA working for, Tri-City?


Leon J. Page
I hope that the San Diego District Attorney investigates Allison Borkenheim for perjury.


Randy Horton · San Diego State University
Tri-City heavily relies on lies as one aspect of its overall strategy to divert and distract from the truth of what is really going on. It believes that if lies are repeated often enough, soon the public will swallow them, hook, line and sinker. Tri-City may be world-class at maintaining superficial appearances, but it sorely lacks anything substantive. Tri-City routinely buries its dirty laundry in closed sessions, even though dirty laundry is public information!


Heather Sterling
Charlene, Your arrogance is enormous! At the board meetings, you act like a 3rd grader on a play ground... teasing, insulting, poking fun at your fellow board members because your daddy is the school principle and he rewards your behavior with goodies.

Charlene, What happened with the investigation by the Attorney General against you? You know the one... the one you thought Larry Anderson initiated against you because of his connection at the board of registered nursing? The investigation regarding multiple missing narcotics which were for the many patients you cared for during your grave yard shifts? Who was paying for your legal representation?...
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=461728&P_LTE_ID=828


John Greenman
Heather, let's not lower ourselves to their level. Keep a cool and level head about this. I understand your frustration and salute your passion, but remember that this will come out in the wash.
It appears that Anderson's revocation may have been stayed and her license is now probationary.
The smartest thing to do at this point would be to publish the PUBLIC information regarding the license status from the state's PUBLIC website to as many outlets as possible. Consumers will then be able to make an informed choice when deciding whether to visit a location where she may be employed.


Charlene Anderson
My license is not revoked Heather.

Maura Larkins
Charlene Anderson, I am curious. What was the action taken today by the Board of Registered Nursing? The only thing on the public website is this:
Disciplinary Actions
Public documents relating to this action are available here: http://rn.ca.gov/public/rn461728.pdf
...November 18, 2011 Revoked/Stayed/Probation
Why don't you make the decision public? I can see how someone would read the above and think that your license had been revoked. You say it was not revoked, so I guess that leaves "Stayed/Probation." What does that mean? Please be forthcoming. And please take your own words to heart: "So what is it? Give us the evidence"!

Okay, I think I understand now. Your license was revoked, but the revocation was stayed. And you were placed on probation. Do I have it right?
Add a Reply...


Brett Peterson · University of San Diego School of Law
Tri-City is ridiculous. This board member was elected. She was voted in by the public and she works for the public, not Tri-City. Only the public can "fire" her (through recall or voting her out of office). This is akin to all of the Democrats or Republicans in Congress trying to fire each other or exclude each other from working because they believe the other side is wrong. Tri-City, just let the democratic process work.


...Charlene Anderson · Oceanside, California
Tri City is not hiding dirty laundry as Mr. Horton states. Sterling is responsible for her behavior, unbelievable as it is, her behavior comes from her. We are simply trying to do business around it. Mr. Horton keeps insinuating that there is some hidden agenda by Administration or the Board. So what is it? Give us the evidence of what you say we are hiding behind the diversion of Sterling's behavior. These conspiracy theories you two have cooked up either independently or together don't hold water. I'm sure you both think they began in...Orange County perhaps? Randy why don't you speak at meetings? Why don't you participate? Why do you share closed session information illegally?

The problem with polygraph tests is that they measure stress, not deception: U.S. strips intelligence analyst of security clearance but won't say why

The problem with polygraph tests is that they measure stress, not deception. It's reasonable that this man would become stressed when asked questions about an incident years ago in which the Defense Department itself agreed that he was falsely accused.

"That whole thing in Syria was such an assault on John's honor," she said. "That's why it got him so viscerally. It was an attack on his person. It has festered for 20 years. And I think he was re-experiencing it all when he was sitting in the chair" for the polygraph.

U.S. strips intelligence analyst of security clearance and job but won't say why
By Peter Finn
Washington Post Staff Writer
November 27, 2010

Dullahan's case, which suggests the government believes he poses a grave threat to national security, is all the stranger because his wife continues to work at the DIA as a supervisor with access to what the government calls "Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information."

"I have access to the crown jewels," JoAnn Dullahan said…

Dullahan says the root of his current problems may lie in Damascus.
In 1985, he began three six-month rotations through Syria, Lebanon and Egypt while assigned to the U.N. Truce Supervision Organization.

At the time, he socialized with some Soviet officers, and on one occasion with a Soviet diplomat, he said. A German friend who visited him in Damascus spoke Russian with some Soviets at one social function.

One of Dullahan's fellow officers found it all suspicious and reported him to the defense attache at the U.S. Embassy. Called in, Dullahan was questioned about his contacts, as well as about his time stationed in Germany and a visit to East Germany, he said.

The defense attache said that Dullahan's German friend was a spy and that he was being groomed for recruitment. Hanging in the air, Dullahan said, was the suggestion that he had already crossed over...

The matter was dismissed when Dullahan's commanding officer flew in and backed him.

But Dullahan's wife believes that her husband was traumatized and permanently marked by the experience.

"That whole thing in Syria was such an assault on John's honor," she said. "That's why it got him so viscerally. It was an attack on his person. It has festered for 20 years. And I think he was re-experiencing it all when he was sitting in the chair" for the polygraph.

In February 2009, Dullahan was called down to a security office at work and placed on administrative leave. The next month, he said, he was called back in and offered the opportunity to leave quietly with retirement benefits. If he refused and challenged his firing, he said that he was told the alternative was no retirement and termination on national security grounds.

Dullahan said he was told that he had to make a decision before leaving. After consulting with his wife, he refused.

"I said I wouldn't accept if it was a million a month," said Dullahan, his voice breaking. "I saw it not just as a job but a calling, as an officer and at DIA. And regardless of the outcome I will remain a devoted, loyal American."

"Lies, damned lies, and statistics" (Benjamin Disraeli quote popularized by Mark Twain)

This post isn't about statistics. It's about the first two kinds of lies. The self-righteous and wrathful Glenn Beck (photo at left) admits he fabricated a story about Barbara Walters and Whoopi Goldberg (photo at right). To see a video clip of Glenn Beck and the ladies he lied about,
click here: At Your Beck and Maul
The View (Weekdays, Syndicated on ABC)
"'The View' crew annihilates Glenn Beck for flat out lying about them."





Sadly, Glenn Beck is not an aberration.

Beck's behavior is quite typical; it even happens remarkably frequently in schools when personal politics eclipses concern for students.


Union leader Gina Boyd of Chula Vista Educators (photo above) refused to admit that teachers fabricated a story about Maura Larkins.

I am fascinated by people who habitually lie, or tell a lie when it isn't even in their interest to do so. I can understand lying in a situation where telling the truth could cause irreparable harm; for example, I believe that if I were a Jew facing the Spanish Inquisition, I would say that I firmly believed in Catholicism, even if I had doubts. But to make up a story just to cause harm to another person seems stupid to me. This is exactly what Castle Park Elementary teachers did in order to get rid of teachers they didn't like. Shame on San Diego County Office of Education-Joint Powers Authority and its director Diane Crosier and on California Teachers Association legal chief Beverly Tucker for putting teachers in a position where they were pressured to tell their false stories under oath.