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Oddly, I found no mention in the article by Laura Lang (“Doctor’s Orders,” 5/1) that Jeannette Wick is Commander Jeannette Wick, of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, assigned to St. Elizabeths Hospital. She is indeed “St. Elizabeths officer in charge”of a small, but highly visible, cadre of PHS health-care professionals, numbering fewer than 100 staff. She is responsible for upholding the high performance standards that the PHS expects of its commissioned officers, in a setting where such standards have not always been the norm. One may take issue with her style of management, but a manager with high expectations may be part of the prescription for reform. I think you will find that the large majority of PHS officers assigned to St. Elizabeths are supportive of her efforts to make this a better place.
Director, Neurology Consultation Service
D.C. Commission on Mental Health Services
via the Internet