Comment of the Week — Wasting An Opportunity

7Mar2008 Filed under: Comment of the Week, Erie, John Kanzius Author: Peter Panepento

Dennis Schmidt offers this week’s top comment.

Dennis wrote in response to the recent posts about a Florida hospital getting the go-ahead to become a part of the clinical trials for John Kanzius’ cancer-treatment procedure.

We received several similar comments on this issue — and I think Dennis’ point really sums up the frustration many in Erie are feeling about this development.

I, along with many other people, awoke this morning to a front-page article in the Times News regarding the John Kanzius Cancer Research clinical trials. I, along with many other people, felt the sting and disappointment of another opportunity that has been passed by Erie. It’s safe to say that Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, Fla wanted these trials more than Erie’s medical community and government did.

With all the positive press that the Erie hospitals have received in recent months and years, this negative story is what people are going to remember. How long have the citizens of Erie pleaded and begged for some economic opportunities? With a HUGE opportunity staring us directly in the face, we miss it due to a lack of effort and persistence. It’s one thing to give it “all you got” and lose out. It’s another thing to barely put forth an effort and carelessly assume that just because the inventor of this technology hails from Erie that these trials deserve to be done here in Erie.

I hope I am not alone (and I don’t think I am) when I say that this can be a much-needed wake-up call. The powers-that-be need to make a collective effort to ensure that this and other non-related economic opportunities NEVER get passed by Erie because of a lack of effort. An opportunity to raise the morale of a disheartened and frustrated city slipped right through our hands and sadly, the citizens of Erie are coming to expect these things to happen.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Comment of the Week — Wasting An Opportunity”

Rob
March 7th, 2008 at 8:38 am

I agree completely with Dennis’ point. Everyone is practically begging for something like this to perhaps give Erie the kick in the pants that it needs, and the people who have the opportunity to deliver completely miss the boat. I have no idea why the hospitals did not really pursue this, but they put forward some pretty lame excuses (Something along the lines of “We contacted them months ago, but have yet to hear from them since”).

Who knows if the Erie area will get another shot at this project in the future, but if Kanzius’ project is looking to expand in it’s trials, the Erie hospitals better jump all over the chance they may get to participate.
annonymous
March 8th, 2008 at 11:51 am

We have four defined economic groups in Erie. That is unheard of for the size of this city. They all need to be fired and consolidated into one entity. In the last couple of years not one of them has been able to help John Kanzius but give him lip service.
george vietze
March 8th, 2008 at 9:30 pm

In April Pennsylvania and Erie will be “SPOTLIGHTED” by international, national and local media. The convergence of both the election and the GE Shareholders meeting will be an opportunity to share the BEST OF ERIE with the world.
The local magazines will be full of stories and advertisers
and the Chamber of Commerce and other organizations will be participating in sharing information with our visitors and the media. GE Transportation is a GEM on this city on the lake. GE has chosen Erie to congratulate GE and its workers on a job well done. I believe GE has future plans for Erie because they have a local facility that can be expanded and local workers that have demonstrated tremendous productivity in tough economic times, something that GE who has not done well during this economic downturn and is looking toward Erie as a “bright light” in their overall global program. This is a huge story that could help attract other investment to this area.

Erie can ill afford to have outside media set the perception of the NEW ERIE. Local media needs to step up to the plate and hit a HOME run.

The Cancer Institute needs to be highlighted during this time as well as other manufacturing and other companies in order to attract new business and investment to this area.
The April issue of the Chamber of Commerce magazine will be full of stories and advertising and well as other magazines will be writing positive stories about Erie promoting our area. The local newspaper should make a special effort to highlight the BEST OF ERIE.

This is a chance to take the lead and set the perception of the NEW Erie. We have proven that ONE PERSON can be helpful in changing world wide perception. We all have to be assertive in MARKETING our own area we cannot expect outside media to market for us. They are sometimes deaing with old and outdated information, it is our responsibility
to provide up-dated information.

The outside media will show up in Erie. The question is “Will the NEW Erie show up?”
annonymous
March 9th, 2008 at 2:36 pm

The Erie Regional Chamber has been advertising Erie in national publication for years with no results. (we know what they spent). Advertising and marketing have not been an effective tool in the past. GE shareholders have one concern. If the train manufacturing division in Erie losses money, they will move it off-shore. With a global and national recession/depression, GE’s main concern is generating profits not staying in Erie. Advertising in a magazine of a depressed rust belt city on the verge of bankruptcy with NO concrete plan to turn the city around and NO one willing to roll up their sleeves and be accountable will make absolutely no difference to GE or the world.

Entries (RSS)
Comments (RSS)

About 'Outside Erie'

Peter Panepento After more than six years working as a journalist in Erie, I'm now the web editor for the Chronicle of Philanthropy in Washington, D.C., and the publisher of GlobalErie.com. I still maintain close ties to Erie - a community that I care about deeply. I hope this Web site can help inspire a better future for Erie.

Outside Erie