JPS blocks employees from visiting Star-Telegram web site

In case you've missed it, the Star-Telegram began running a six-part series focusing on the JPS Health Network, Tarrant County's public hospital system, on Sunday. The first three parts can be read here, here and here.

But JPS employees won't be able to read the rest of the series online - not at least while they are at work.

JPS Chief Executive David Cecero and Chief Financial Officer Gail Gale Pileggi decided to block internet access to the Star-Telegram.com site.

"It was a decision that was discussed with the administration, being Mr. Cecero and Gail Pileggi, and how to deal with news issues and how many people have the right to read and do things during the work day," said JPS spokesman Robert Earley, senior vice president of public affairs and advocacy.

Despite JPS' censorship, dozens of blog postings on the stories were made by people identifying themselves as JPS employees.

JPS Board Chair Steve Montgomery called the move "stupid."

-Anthony Spangler

Comments

[earugo]

Well although Cecero hired Early it didn't take him long to cut and run. Administration decided being.... The Star-Telegram ought to print all of the executives salaries and how many new ones they have hired like Early, Adams, their high dollar lobby team for example. All hired so they could feather their own nest at our expense.

[peridot52]

Well, well, well.

Mr. Cecero and Gail Pileggi must be sticking their heads in the sand. If you have done nothing wrong, why hide the truth?

Do these two beieve they are above question? Have they convinced themselves and others that their bad deeds have gone unnoticed? Do they realize that not only the patients but some the hospital staff have been waiting for the opportunity to hold them accountable?

Hooray for JPS Board Chair Steve Montgomery ... it takes courage to admit this internal form of censorship is "stupid".

Could the guilty parties in this situation be continuing to show how unethical they are and to what depths of depravity they will sink?

The first step to correcting corporate misdeeds is an honest and open sharing of facts without fear of retaliation from "the powers that be" towards the JPS employees and patients as well as the citizens of Tarrant County.

The picture of JPS as mismanaged is becoming clearer with each passing day. I hope Mr. Cecero and Gail Pileggi's attempt at internal censorship results in their downhill slide from the pinacle of "their leadership positions?" to full disclosure and accountability.

May these two and others who are equally as quilty expeience the same painful road many JPS patients and JPS staff have had to travel because of Mr. Cecero and Gail Pileggi's irresponsible behavior. Perhaps only then will honesty, integrity and compassion be restored to this supposed place of healing.

[Disgusted]

JPS you should be ashamed of yourself, hiding from the truth. The truth had to be told one day. As a former employee, smells of urine and feces,floors and walls that were filthy,patients going into the hospital for one thing and then having to stay longer for infections they caught at your hospital,exposing us to many patients with tuberculosis and not notifying us of the exposure, are the reasons I had to leave for my own health.

[Enough]

You know the media has a tendancy to play on only the bad stories they have sought out to publish in order to stir up controversy and get more sales. JPS has done and does alot of good for people and the community daily. Where are the stories of the people that daily are helped by the Hospital System? And the stories of JPS employees that have worked there for years because they love their jobs. No system is perfect, but attacking it doesn't correct the problems it only enflames things so they are limelighted for a short time until a larger story comes up. When has the Star Telegram taken the time to put itself or fellow media outlets under the microscope so to speak?

[Dr. of Medicine]

Sorry, Dr. Steve MOntgomery has it wrong when he condemns JPS docs for not seeing enough patients per day....he needs to VISIT THE CLINICS to see how many problems the average JPS patient present to their doctor. These patients have many needs that can not be ignored on any one clinic visit....so....if it takes MORE TIME to care for the patient's PRIMARY problem, in addition to the SECONDARY problems, in addition to the social aspects of their care, well SO BE IT.

Dr. Steve Montgomery, CHAIRMAN of the JPS Board of MANAGERS, spend ONE DAY in the shoes of the (MANY) truly dedicated JPS doctors to see how their practice varies so much from your own.

[R Jones]

The resources and time of JPS employees are not for their personal enjoyment while they are at work. They are there (at least partially) being paid with tax dollars. I want them paying attention to tests, patients, and doctors...not the newspaper. They can read the newspaper at home.

[Carl Smith]

Looks like the Italian Mafia is running our Texas hospital. Send them back to Newark,NJ.

[N.]

ACTUALLY... JPS employees have NO access to the internet period. It's not JUST the Star Telegram website that we can't access.

Morons.

[Lucy]

I've enjoyed reading the comments made by current & former JPS staff. Some of what they've posted has been in support of the hospital and since some of the article's have attacked the quality of care given by these same employee's, seems only fair they're given equal time and a forum to tell their side of this story. What the admin. at JPS has now done is basically made S-T version much more appealing on the truth meter.

[Jennifer]

Actually, JPS employees DO have access to the internet so yes they could have read the article had it not been blocked... it looks like they have something to hide... this is tax money at work. I wonder... how much are the executives paid...

[Margaret]

I want to APPLAUD the Star-Telegram for allowing reporters the time to research and thoroughly report on JPS. This is journalism at its best and the Fort Worth community needs and deserves this kind of investigative coverage not just on occasion, but regularly. I believe you will find your circulation readership numbers will increase if you do this. It will become a "must-read" and your advertisers will take notice.

Community members pay taxes to JPS and deserve to know how the dollars are spent, and how well the institution follows its mission.

[family doc.]

I am a physician here in Ft. Worth, and i would like to know why is JPS loosing all its primary care doctor.
Why is primary care physician compensated so low as compared to other specialties. I believe that Family Medicine is a specialty and it should be one or the highest compensated job in medicine because we can manage almost everything in patient care. When a specialist is unable to handle a patient they kick the patient back to the primary care doctor.

[Mark Thompson]

Way to go, Startlegram!

[Point of order]

One point worth making: Of course it's silly for the hospital to block access to the Star-Telegram's Web site, but it is not censorship. Only the government can censor things. Nobody is making the Star-Telegram take the stories from its Web site; the stories are still available to anyone who works at the hospital, so long as they go to another place to acess them. The hospital looks petty -- and guilty -- by blocking the access, but the computers belong to them, so they can do what they like with their property. Point is, the action may be silly, but it's not censorship, and a news organization should certainly know better than to suggest that it is.

[...]

The last time I tried to use my SO CALLED resource to research a patient's disease and find out more about it... I was BLOCKED from the internet. Why? Because employees do not have access to the internet.

[Stacey]

Point of order, "Only the government can censor things"? No, ANYONE can be a censor. Look up the definition. The stories' authors say that it's censorship because it IS. If anyone knows the definition of censorship, it's a journalist!