To the Editor:

After reading the editorial “State must reject bid to save Parkview” (Jan. 30), I am compelled to respond.

Your blatant, biased opinion toward Parkview Adventist Medical Center was evident, as was your lack of insight into what issues impact health care systems.

An aging population, decreasing reimbursement rates, an increased number of uninsured and underinsured, a poor economy, lack of primary care providers, limited access to specialists and a high rate of unemployment are a few of the issues impacting the ability of hospitals to meet the needs of our communities. I noticed none of these were addressed in your editorial.

Your comment that the merger between Parkview and Central Maine Healthcare may require patients to be transferred away is true. In fact, this is the current arrangement between Mid Coast Hospital and Maine Medical Center — another fact you neglected to mention.

Too much time and effort is being wasted trying to convince people which local hospital they should choose. Both provide a variety of services with connections to larger facilities that provide advanced technology and specialty care.

Working collaboratively with these larger facilities by sharing resources not available at the local level is fiscally responsible and cost effective.

I have friends, family and colleagues who work at the health care facilities I’ve named in this letter. During a disaster, we pool resources to provide the services needed.

We do what is right for our patients. There is a health care crisis, but it has nothing to do with the CON application submitted by Central Maine Healthcare.

Let’s focus our energies on addressing the real issues to fix the system and stop making this out to be a turf war.

As a registered nurse and consumer of health care services, I will choose where to spend my health care dollars based on the facts.

Carmen L. Hetherington
Harpswell