Dear Editor:

I have read the news about St. Andrews closing its emergency room and losing its hospital status and I attended some of the community meetings. I realize corporations must make profits to succeed; I also realize that St. Andrews is not what we would consider a typical corporation. That atypical corporate charter has been the reason for community support, beginning with the gift of the land upon which the hospital sits, financial contributions, and enormous volunteer hours. These contributions have shown no indication of abatement.

I was disappointed, therefore, that given this long history of community engagement, Lincoln County Healthcare executed a plan with a foregone conclusion and an announcement ignoring the input of the community before the decision was made. This action, coupled with a preemptive dismantling of the facility, seemed to be designed to support a conclusion rather than overcome the problem.

I have to wonder if the same leadership intransigence that arrived at the simplest answer and a flawed communication plan is not an indication of why the hospital cannot be made to formulate a method of success?

The case for closing St. Andrews seems to have boiled down to volume. Yet successful businesses on our peninsula have long learned that to depend on volume is a poor business plan and have learned to specialize. Why not couple community and federal support with targeted specialty services that capitalize on our location, including rehab, education, research and other unique offerings that do not simply mimic the larger competitors and may exploit our advantage? This type of innovation succeeds in drawing in customers from away – a concept not unfamiliar to the thousands who visit us in summer.

I urge Lincoln County to extend its moratorium on closing one year and engage the community fully, as they should have from the start. Rather than spend resources on divisive battles, I would urge both sides to spend those resources more productively on closing the financial gap for that year and engaging the best minds on innovative solutions. I believe in this community’s practical reasoning, and, creative talents and am confident that the outcome will surprise us all.

Tom Myette
Southport