You can most likely guess that I have been sick, simply by reading the title of this post. I have the pleasure of living with a 2 year old "germ factory" That is, he is 2, goes to day care weekdays and brings home a lovely variety of germs that he then transfers to the other household members in the spirit of love and affection. Even if you happen to pin him down and swab down his face before the spirited smooching sessions, I figure there are roughly several billion active germs on his lips alone and can I say no to that little one that just wants some love?

Several weeks later I find myself on my way to the Indian Rock Prompt Care with a raging case of acute bronchitis. The destination is actually one of my least favorite places to be. In this county if you are sick but not sick enough to risk the lengthy abandonment of the hospital ER staff and too sick to wait a month for an appointment at the clinic, your choices are reduced to two, either the Forest Road Prompt Care or the Indian Rock Prompt Care. I choose the Indian Rock Prompt Care because it is closer to where I live and on occasion can actually be prompt.

When we get to the Indian Rock Prompt Care, which is located in East Sonora on highway 108 in the Indian Rock Center, we find that the 2 previously disabled persons parking spots are both filled with non-permitted vehicles. One belonging to a well known  courier service. We were forced to park in the regular parking on a small hill in front of the building. The front of the building has no ramp in the curbing to the sidewalk so I was forced to roll down the driveway, over a speed bump meant for cars, around the corner then uphill between the two vehicles to access the ramp to the sidewalk and back around on the sidewalk to the front doors. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

After I caught my breath enough to speak, I mentioned what I thought of as abuse of disabled person's parking spots to the receptionist. I was surprised to find out that the parking had been converted to staff parking only. Really?  I never saw any staff that didn't look healthy enough to walk the 8 or so feet from the regular parking area, seeing as they can easily step up on that curb and a disabled person might not be able to. But i digress a bit, (this is the second time I've written this post) My point is that the physically impaired people of Tuolumne County need doctors too and we deserve reasonable access! What I went through was not reasonable and in fact was extremely dangerous, a wheelchair is not easily seen by motor vehicle operators who are looking for the best parking spots. I was fortunate that we came at a time when the volume of traffic was very low. 

Now you will most likely say to yourself, "She is just venting about getting a bad parking spot, poor thing." and that is that. NO! Every time I go out I see lazy people abusing the disabled permit parking spaces and it doesn't matter where it is. This time it is just incredibly blatant and uncaring of a medical facility, charged with caring for the health of ALL residents.

To Sonora Community Hospital/Medical Care Planners:

Remember you were the ones that agreed to taking care of everyone when you put the county medical practices out of business. I need to brush up on my laws, but I believe that means you have the responsibility to comply with the federal ADA laws and that means not only having proper access but also making sure your delivery and courier services do not use those spots, just because it is easier for them to make their deliveries. If you'd stayed private, then you could discriminate against the physically impaired and keep us away but you didn't and now you can't because I will not stop writing and talking until things are right.


Well I am going to call this post good for today and hop down off my soap box. The issue will never close until things get better or my time on earth ends, whichever comes first and I hope by then there will be others to take up wherever I leave off.

Whats for dinner? Breakfast! I love a good breakfast dinner with cheesy eggs and toast, today we even have home made banana bread that I made with my 9 year old grandson Sean.