Dear Editor:

I sit here at the nurses’ stations on my very last day working at St. Andrews Hospital after 31 years. There are no patients and the hospital wing is empty and hollow. I feel empty and all alone. What were they thinking?

Reflecting on my years at St. Andrews and the changes throughout the years, I remember the nurses, CNAs, doctors and our “voice” of SAH. I wish to pay tribute to those people who gave 20 to 35 years of their life to make St. Andrews Hospital a valued, respected and caring hospital. These nurses, CNAs, and doctors all worked hard in all areas of the hospital; acute care, ER, OR, OB/GYN, and baby nursery. Some of them have passed on and some have retired, but I, for one, feel blessed to have worked with them and learned so much from them. The motto we all expressed was “patients first.”

I would like to give my heartfelt thank you to our wonderful community and to all the patients that ever walked through our door. Their support, faith and trust in us made every one of them a greater part of the St. Andrews family. Right up until the last day our door is open, our nurses and CNAs have kept our motto clear: “patients first.”

I would also like to thank the St. Andrews Task Force for the endless fight you gave to keep St. Andrews Hospital open. You have not failed us; you have inspired us and I thank you very much for that, thus bringing to us the “Boothbay Region Health and Wellness” group.

Last, but not least, I want to thank the people of our wonderful community, from all walks of life, coming together with their support, loyalty and friendship.

It's a sad day and I am brokenhearted, but I encourage you to support the Boothbay Region Health and Wellness group, the urgent care, and auxiliary department of the St. Andrews campus. Also through the night, put your faith into our very experienced ambulance service. You will still see some familiar faces that will keep our St. Andrews Hospital motto going “patients first.”

Nancy Conley

Boothbay