To the Editor:

When my wife and I were coming to term, we were shocked to find that no hospital would allow me to be present, much less coach the love of my life at the births.

We had studied Lamaze, were promoters of La Leche League and were very excited about our new family. We were turned down by all Boston and southern Maine hospitals except for the wonderful and unique Seventh Day Adventists, who accepted and warmly allowed us to be who we were.

That was 45 years ago. Medical practice has changed drastically since then, becoming dramatically more expensive, far beyond the monetary resources of religious organizations. The large Boston Adventist hospital where our first son was born is long gone and our Parkview Hospital is in debt for millions of dollars and no longer, as far as I understand it, supported financially by the church. Yet the Brunswick resident Parkview staff continues valiantly its tradition of unique loving care of its patients, a tremendous treasure to have in our community.

Sadly, in a classic hostile takeover bid, a Lewiston hospital has let Parkview become indebted to Lewiston for an amount neither Parkview nor the Adventist Church can ever repay, making Parkview essentially a hostage to the Lewiston hospital.

The Lewiston hospital is well on its way to diluting Parkview into a mere ambulance garage and helipad for ferrying lucrative patients out of Brunswick to Lewiston.

This subjugation of our Parkview Hospital would be a terrible loss to our Mid-coast population. We treasure our Parkview, and don’t wish to see it “Lewistonized,” diluted and lost.

Mid Coast Hospital, Maine’s newest technically advanced and superbly staffed hospital, nonprofit, wholly owned by our local community, is financially sound and has offered to relieve Parkview of its debt and to work out a mutually beneficial association, freeing it from outside control, free to continue and to expand its unique, tender care of patients.

Such an association between Parkview and Mid Coast hospitals can far better tend to our medical needs than the shuttling doctors and long administrative arm from Lewiston.

Pat Hennin
Woolwich