To the Editor:

For months and years I have found it difficult to understand the ongoing feud between hospitals in our area. In past years I have been a patient at Bath Memorial, Maine Med, Mid Coast, Parkview and Regional Memorial hospitals. Being a Navy wife and daughter, I have lived all over the world and the eastern and western United States for more than 75 years. I have lived in Brunswick for 36 years and have been an active member of the community in many ways.

I can honestly say I have never had a bad experience, though I would have preferred not to have been a patient at any hospital. In fact, the doctors, nurses and staff have always been kind and very efficient. I consider the care for myself and other members of our family to have been exceptional in all of our area hospitals.

We all know costs are out of sight for medical care, and we must come together to lower them. Unnecessary use of emergency rooms and Life- Flight helicopter rides make no sense. “Take me to Parkview” bumper stickers only aggravate the situation, and sounds like an athletic event. Parkview and Mid Coast both have lovely chapels and clergy of all faiths who will visit patients who request them.

I can’t believe that a merger is going to mean all the good health programs at Parkview will disappear. Certainly not all employees of Parkview will be out of work — there are just too many jobs that need to be filled as new and more effective procedures come along.

I am not anti-Parkview. I live next door and use it often. In fact, my doctor is based there. I am tired of negative letters and ads, for whatever the purpose.

Our community needs to come together. Bath and Brunswick came together for United Way, Chambers of Commerce, Bath and Brunswick hospitals and the American Red Cross, and it wasn’t easy to accomplish.

Let’s work together and resolve this terrible “cancer” in our community.

Sally Mull
Brunswick