"Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."
United State Department of Labor
Holidays for us those who work in the medical field certainly takes on a different definition in my opinion. And allow me to divulge my disclaimer here-this is not a whining blog. Not at all. As I look at Labor Day, I am thankful for my job with all of the challenges; even the government imposed regulations that just makes it that much more difficult to navigate thru (i.e. get paid) some days. The moment is not lost on me or some of you either, that our double digit unemployment rate has an impact on Labor Day today as we know it. Mothers, fathers, single individuals-wish they had a job to to take a day off from...
Labor Day and the medical industry...not much impact on some of us. We still need to decide who is on call for the practice, who to call in case of emergencies. Not to say that other industries have the same chain of call. I have no doubt that Qwest (for us Denverites) has people working today for the true emergencies. Recently, I had a new phone system installed (!#*(@#!$) and just in case the system hits a snag I have to be available. Someone is always available in medicine. Emergency Rooms-never close. Hospitals-never close. The infrastructure to keep our medical system humming on the "holidays" can never stop.
The debate that swirls around us right now on healthcare makes me chuckle on days like this. Is the Senate working today? Is the House working today? Just in case a constituent walks in the door to make a point (hey-it's the consitutent's days off afterall) to his/her Congressman? Me thinks, that might make our legislature cost more...even though when you show up to an ER you get charged the same co-pay as any other day. Even though this staff we employ gets paid Holiday Pay...we don't pass it on to the patient.
For those of you who are really "off" today, enjoy! And in case something doesn't work...my mobile is 303-810...