VA Hospital Buys One Version Of Nurses' Trial

VA Hospital Buys One Version Of Nurses’ Trial

By John Barton

STAFF REPORTER

Ann Arbor VA Hospital administrators used federal money and free mailing privileges to purchase and distribute about 1,000 copies of a monthly newspaper’s account of the trial and conviction of two former nurses accused of poisoning patients.

Hospital director Arnold Mousih acknowledged that 1,000 copies of the Ann Arbor Observer, which is distributed locally for free, were purchased by the hospital at a cost of 10 cents each. At least 500 copies were mailed "to persons interested in the case" at government expense accompanied by a note from Mouish printed on hospital letterhead stationery.

The rest were distributed to hospital employees, Mouish said.

Critics of the Observer series, which appeared in the September issue, have blasted the stories as “biased against, the nurses and extremely prosecution-oriented."

Top hospital officials, however, have praised the stories as “balanced, accurate, careful, and objective.”

“It’s the only publication I’ve read that tells the whole story and tells it accurately," declared Gary Calhoun, administrative assistant to the hospital’s chief of staff.

Mouish said copies of the newspaper were bought because his office had "received a number of requests for them" following the conviction of former nurses Leonora Perez and Filipina Narciso. 

“We considered using the trial transcript itself,” Mouish explained, “but that runs to several thousand pages. We decided to procure about 1,000 copies because we wanted to give people as much information about what happened here as we could.”

Mouish said “at least 500 copies” were mailed in government envelopes to “hospital volunteers.” Each copy of the newspaper was accompanied by a note from Mouish printed under the hospital letterhead which tells readers that on page two of the Observer is a “complete article . . . which you will find very interesting.”

Although Mouish and Calhoun said copies were mailed only to persons who wanted them, Richard Collins of Dexter, who has been very vocal in his support of the women's innocence, said he received one, “and I raised hell about it.”

Mouish reportedly told Collins his name was mixed up with those of hospital volunteer workers by mistake. Calhoun, however, said it was “most appropriate" Collins receive the paper.

“He has written us several times,” Calhoun said, “and this served as a response to information he wanted. I think we have an obligation and a duty to give anyone an objective review of the entire incident.”

Calhoun justified use of free federal mailing privileges “because this is a federal institution and federal institutions don’t pay postage.

“This was considered official business; we interpreted it as official business,” he added.

Authorities at the hospital admitted that the copies of the Observer contained the only newspaper accounts to be distributed on a large scale under hospital sponsorship.

“Frankly," Calhoun said, “The Ann Arbor News, the Detroit Free Press and other media just did not give an objective, accurate account of the trial.”

But Mike Price of Ann Arbor, one of the organizers of the Narciso-Perez defense fund, disagrees.

“Most of the article was obviously spoon-fed to the Observer by the prosecution,” he said. “It’s our position that it takes a very biased view of the case.”

The man who wrote the Observer’s lengthy study, Don Hunt, denies the charge.

"We worked closely with the prosecutors,” he said, “but everything was checked out with the jury. There was no collusion with hospital authorities at all.”

Hunt also confirmed that the hospital bought 1,000 copies of the September issue, then late last week asked for another 1,000.

"But we didn’t have any,” Hunt said. “I didn't know what they had in mind when they bought them, but I guess they were extremely delighted about the article, they said it expressed their point of view which they felt had been badly maligned elsewhere.”