To the Editor:

I have delayed speaking out about this community issue because I currently volunteer at both hospitals and I had a fear my opinions would be taken as lack of loyalty.

I would like to speak in favor of diversity and of its value for any community. Here in this area, we have Wilson’s Drug Store and Wal-Mart; we have Frosty’s as well as Dunkin’ Donuts. All serve different needs. Some people frequent all of these at times, some limit themselves to one or another. But the diversity serves the community.

I am a nurse by profession and a volunteer chaplain at both hospitals. I have personally witnessed the environment and culture at both hospitals, and found good things about both.

Invariably, I have found a different quality of caring in hospitals that were established by religious orders than in hospitals in which technology, science and business play a more important role. In the second instance, I have found many very caring workers; it is just that the atmosphere as a whole more reflects primary values of efficiency and precision than a reliance and acceptance of the transcendent.

I personally feel it would be a great loss for the community if Parkview were to be owned and housed by Mid Coast Hospital. What would it be like to have a Wilson’s Drug Store annex to Wal-Marts, or to have Frosty’s Donuts sold at Dunkin’ Donuts?

In both cases, the smaller businesses would lose their unique atmosphere; their products might be sold, but the environment that made the smaller businesses unique would be greatly diminished or lost.

In my opinion, this sort of move would create a loss for the community as a whole.

I feel there may very well be creative opportunities for Mid Coast that would result in a winwin result for both hospitals and the community instead of some of the stress that currently exists.

Camilla K. Beale
Brunswick