Dear Editor:

The St. Andrews saga is not over yet.

It may be perfectly legal to lie about the reasons for closing a hospital, as Lincoln County Healthcare/St. Andrews/Miles Memorial and its trustees did by hoodwinking many into believing that St. Andrews is a chronic money loser, despite its earning profits of over $5 million since 2001.

Another presumably legal lie promulgated by LCH and its three boards of trustees is that preserving the Critical Access Hospital designation will “save money” for those served by St. Andrews. How can continuing St. Andrews’ CAH status save money for people in the region when St. Andrews has had CAH status all along?

The lawyers said legal action is possible only when someone is actually damaged. Now that it is closed, actual damages to those once served by the former St. Andrews Hospital have begun. MaineHealth/Lincoln County Healthcare management and trustees are inflicting damages on us, both financial (higher taxes and lower real estate values) and personal (depriving us of a local hospital).

We will now see whether the law recognizes those damages and acts to end them.

The St. Andrews saga continues.

Tom Hagan
Boothbay