I regret the lack of polish and perhaps organization in this missive as well as its tardiness - I was a near invalid for a year after the events I describe and am three years later not much better.

I do not know who should investigate this matter but as my life expectancy is very short I leave it in your hands. In 2021 I was hospitalized in the Arkansas Continued Care Hospital (ACCH) - the details are in the enclosed material. Only the intervention of my family saved me from death - they removed me over the strenuous objections of the doctor and I recuperated at the home of a family member. It was more than a year before I was able to investigate the circumstances and become aware of what had been done to me.

I had planned to write later but the matter is now more urgent as the hospital has been closed and it may be impossible to investigate but more troubling is the plan of yet another health care company to occupy the facility. To quote their press release:

I am familiar with that hospital and its history. It is a 44-bed facility and is old and in very bad condition - to make a 70-bed hospital suitable for standards (it was built fifty or more years ago) its size would have to be nearly doubled and would require millions of dollars and a year or more of work. From what I know about that company I seriously doubt that they intend - or are capable of - any such thing. The fact that it is intended for children is even more concerning.

Some years ago there was a company in Jonesboro known as Ascent Children's Health Services (ACHS). ACHS had several facilities around northeast Arkansas. In 2017 a young child died a horrifying death while in the care of ACHS, left locked in a van for hours on a hot day. Several employees were prosecuted but the owners of the company were not held accountable - the fact that when this happened the CEO - a state legislator - was attempting to pass legislation that would lower the standards for such facilities and remove government oversight was mentioned in the news reports but for some reason his career was undamaged. The Chief Operating Officer (actually the one most directly responsible) was one James Cox.

ACHS closed soon afterwards. When I almost perished in Arkansas Continued Care Hospital four years later the CEO was that same James Cox. While researching the hospital I documented 146 deaths hospital in the six years it was in operation and am aware of another patient who died after being discharged and admitted to another hospital on the following day. Whether approximately 150 deaths at a 44-bed hospital in six years is suspicious is irrelevant - the death rate of such a hospital should be zero or close to it. ACCH was not a general hospital - it did not accept emergency patients, had no intensive care or critical care facilities, and surgery was not performed there. In fact no patient in imminent danger of death was admitted and a patient whose condition deteriorated should have been immediately returned to a regular hospital. ACCH was strictly a recovery and rehabilitation facility. The average age of death was well below life expectancy - many were under sixty years of age and some were much younger. Only in the most extraordinary unforeseen circumstances would a patient die there.

Thus I find it extremely troubling that a company similar to ACHS intends to use that facility for a similar purpose. Who will prevent children from being abused and killed or incurring more injury through incompetent treatment? Who ensures the competence of the doctors and quality of staff? The doctor who almost killed me and probably did kill quite a few patients is still licensed by the state medical board (they don't yet have my complaint) and can go on to wreak havoc elsewhere if he can find a hospital that will hire him. Who will protect these children from being harmed whether through incompetence or the greed of the hospital operators? Mental health is even less well understood by most than physical ailments and parents of these children will be at the mercy of the 'professionals'. Will there be any oversight by an agency outside of the health care industry?

With the exception of military service and business travel I have lived my entire life in the northeast Arkansas area . Jonesboro has two excellent hospitals and the residents of this region are fortunate to have them. Arkansas Continued Care Hospital and for that matter Ascent Children's Health Services were a disgrace to the health care profession. I realize that few people have - at least few have survived - experiences such as mine and are inclined to trust whatever services are available and in any case have little choice.

I am enclosing copies of the copies of my communications with the state medical board, the state nursing board and state pharmaceutical board as well as my letter to the insurance company that paid more than a million dollars for my 'care'. They explain how a healthy and productive citizen was reduced to a near invalid by a corrupt medical facility.

My condition is such that I might live for another year or so but even getting out of bed I risk a fatal fall or other misadventure. If you have any questions and I am extant feel free to contact me. I am at your service,