Expect careful scrutiny

Note from state Sen. Crowell on the editing error, unedited

I note for discussion sake that you changed my submitted response to your paper's editorial critical of my stance on this issue. "its Editorial Board" is a specific reference to your paper NOT the regents at SEMO...you have fundamentally changed my submitted response and I respectfully ask why? I further note that it is not possible for me to log in on your website under said letter and post what was actually submitted as a response to your paper's critical editorial of me.

For comparison purposes I am inserting your published letter under my name below to what was actually submitted in response and defense:

State Sen. Crowell's letter as originally submitted, unedited

Caring for Missourians is a one time $40M investment by Missouri taxpayers with the goal of increasing access to quality health care for Missourians by increasing health care workers...a worthy goal. However, neither SEMO nor its Editorial Board will deter my efforts to ensure fiscal oversight and accountability in the administration of this program and the investment of $40M (this year) of taxpayer money. Missouri students and taxpayers should be the ones to benefit from Missouri's investment; SEMO's unwillingness to sign on to this guiding principle shows me that its intention is to use Missouri taxpayer dollars to conceivably train IL students for health care jobs in Kentucky. As long as that possibility exists SEMO's administration of its portion of the Caring for Missourians program is fatally flawed. As horrible the thought may be to SEMO and its Editorial Board accountability will be demanded especially in light of the fact that when you take SEMO's allotted $1.172M and divide by the announced "6 new slots for FNP and 10 new slots for an accelerated program" then the Missouri taxpayers just at SEMO alone are making an investment of $73,263 per newly trained health care worker, per year. At the University of Missouri-Columbia level that number explodes to $121,148 per health care worker ($9.328M / 77) and at the University of Missouri system as a whole it is $121,391 per health care worker ($24.278M / 200). A rather step investment to say the least. Remember, the General Assembly did not create Caring for Missourians the Governor and the university presidents did. The money I worked to provide to SEMO this pass session, $1.172M was not "ear marked" for Caring for Missourians; it was expected to be used by SEMO at SEMO's discretion for one time needs. Dr. Dobbins and the Board of Regents took these one time funds and created the on going program at SEMO under the state wide title - Caring for Missourians. And at $73K plus per health care worker trained and because SEMO set this individualized program up on its own rest assured I will continue to demand accountability, provide vigorous oversight and ensure that Missouri taxpayers are the beneficiaries of their investment.

The letter as published in the Southeast Missourian

Caring for Missourians is a one-time $40 million investment by Missouri taxpayers with the goal of increasing access to quality health care for Missourians by increasing health care workers -- a worthy goal. However, neither Southeast Missouri State University nor its regents will deter my efforts to ensure fiscal oversight and accountability of this program.

Missouri students and taxpayers should be the ones to benefit from Missouri's investment. Southeast's unwillingness to sign on to this guiding principle shows me that its intention is to use Missouri taxpayer dollars to conceivably train Illinois students for health-care jobs in Kentucky. As long as that possibility exists, Southeast's administration of the Caring for Missourians program is fatally flawed.

As horrible as the thought may be to Southeast and its regents, accountability will be demanded -- especially in light of the fact that when you take Southeast's allotted $1.172 million and divide by the announced six new slots for family nurse practitioners and 10 new slots for an accelerated program -- Missouri taxpayers at Southeast alone will be making an investment of $73,263 per newly trained health-care worker per year. At the University of Missouri-Columbia that number explodes to $121,148, and at the University of Missouri system as a whole it is $121,391. A rather steep investment, to say the least.

Remember, the General Assembly did not create Caring for Missourians. The governor and university presidents did. The money I worked to provide to Southeast this past session was not earmarked for Caring for Missourians. It was expected to be used at Southeast's discretion for one-time needs. Dr. Ken Dobbins and the regents took these one-time funds and created an ongoing program under the title Caring for Missourians. At $73,000-plus per health-care worker trained and because Southeast set this individualized program up on its own, rest assured I will continue to demand accountability, provide vigorous oversight and ensure that Missouri taxpayers are the beneficiaries of their investment.

State Sen. JASON CROWELL, Cape Girardeau