In Box.

No silver lining here

I was both disappointed and flabber-gasted by the article "Prescriptions for bankruptcy" (December 2001, page 63). It astounds me that an advocate of the industry would publish an encouragement to default on debt.

The intermediate to long term implications of this article concerning capital formation for this industry are staggering. The larger players who can generate larger fees will still have access to capital, no matter their disinclination to honor their commitments. For small to medium credits, however, first mortgages and gross revenue pledges will begin to be lumped in with "hot air" in terms of quality of collateral; I can imagine liens on body parts becoming more important at that time.

I guess the attorneys congratulate themselves for creating the solution to the tort scourge: bankruptcy court.

Nobody wins in bankruptcy court. The facility or facilities will decline while endless motions, hearings, etc. proceed which redefine the word "non-productivity." Creditors are denied an opportunity to learn the true value of their investment through swift replacement of incompetent management or other methodologies which might be utilized to effect a "turnaround."

Perhaps there is some national goal I am unaware of to consolidate this industry within a few large firms. I believe that to be a strong possibility if your bankruptcy recommendation is taken to heart by numerous long term care operators, as the ability of smaller operators to access the capital markets decreases to zero because of the rate premium investors will require because of a lack of ability to control the asset in a timely manner in the event of a default.

James J. Clayton is vice president, The GMS Group in Atlanta.

I am rather disturbed about the Finance article in the December 2001 issue.

The article is fraught with errors and you have done your readers a disservice. One that jumps out is the statement "... a lot of creditors get to cancel leases under the ... section of the code." This is an error. It should have read a lot of debtors get to cancel leases. Even then, it leaves out the penalities for cancellation of leases.

The article does not explain that we are dealing with Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code, and that these benefits are not available in Chapter 7. Further, there are a number of other pitfalls and minefields that are not explained in the article.

At the least, you ought to issue a warning to your readers who may be relying on some of the errors written by this recent law graduate.

A. C. Strip is a partner with the Law Offices of Strip, Fargo, Hoppers & Leithart Go., Columbus, Ohio

A better way to put it

I just saw the January 2002 issue of Contemporary Long Term Care and was saddened to see the title of an article "Accommodating the disabled" (page 11). People are people first. Some people happen to have disabilities. It is my understanding as a health professional that the most politically correct way of stating it would have been "Accommodating people with disabilities."

Vickie Martinson is director of nursing at Sierra Regional Center in Sparks, Nev.

Editor's note: There are many legitimate organizations and publications that do fine work that recognize the use of the word "disabled" as a respectful definition of a "person with disabilities," among them:

Disabled American Veterans (<www.dav.org); Disabled Sports USA (<www.dsusa.org>); National Sports Center for the Disabled (<http://nscd.org>); National Alliance of the Disabled (<www.naotd.org>); Center for Computer Assistance to the Disabled (<www.c-cad.org>); Canadian Disabled Alpine Ski Team (<www.canukcom/cads/>); Global Access Disabled Travel Network (<www.geocities.com/Paris/1502>); Writing/Art for the Disabled (<http://suite 101.com/welcome.cfm/art/art_for_disabled).

CLTC regrets any politically incorrect inference inferred, but none was implied.

Thanks for the good work

We would like to express our appreciation for the article "Granting a makeover" (January 2002, page 14). It fully describes Sea View's dining room, before and after; the committee's hard work and investment; and the residents' positive responses.

Thomas W Matteo, EdD, is chief operating officer of Sea View

Hospital Rehabilitation Center and Home in Staten Island, N.Y.

As a licensed nursing home administrator, I wish to thank you for your magazine. It is an asset as it keeps myself and the management staff updated on the many current issues and innovative programs.

Susan Lipton, LSW, NHA, is vice president, Health Care Services, Evangelical Manor in Philadelphia.