It looks like our friends from the St. Andrews Task Force have gone into the pages of Maine folk medicine and sought some advice from two legendary upcountry medical authorities: Benjamin Franklin Pierce and John F.X. McIntyre.

For those under 60 or so, these were the real names of the mythical physicians “Hawkeye” Pierce and “Trapper” John McIntyre, the stars of the book, movie and TV series “MASH.”

As the original Korean War story goes, the two rebel Army surgeons were sent from their field hospital to Tokyo to perform a complex operation on congressman's son. Arriving at the hospital, they barged into the operating room and announced their presence by stating: “We’re the pros from Dover-Foxcroft.”

The task force, the community-based group seeking to save the local hospital and keep the emergency room open, picked “a pro from Dover-Foxcroft” to be their champion. He will look over the shoulder of the folks at Lincoln County Healthcare. He will examine their consultant’s report, check the data, talk to the community and use his experience to convince them they should change their mind.

The pro, Ralph Gabarro, the recently retired CEO of Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft, is a former board chair of the Maine Hospital Association and a recognized expert on the operation of small rural hospitals. In hospital language, Gabarro was hired to submit a “second opinion.”

Speaking over the crowd at Tuesday’s task force meeting he seemed to speak directly to Jim Donovan, the boss of Lincoln County Health and to Donovan’s boss, Bill Caron, the CEO of MaineHealth, the parent company. Both were quietly sitting in the back row, along with some of the doctors and board members.

Gabarro explained that professional studies show lots of hospitals that are a lot smaller than St. Andrews, have 24/7 emergency rooms that provide good service, handle tough critical cases, and make money. He said he hoped Lincoln County Healthcare and MaineHealth would sit down and discuss the situation.

“It can change. There is time,” he said. And he calmed the crowd of 250 or so residents, some of whom are still mad as heck at the ER closure decision, and said, “It is best if this is done in a collaborative manner.”

That was the same message passed on a few minutes earlier by task force lawyer Julius Ciembroniewicz. In a quiet voice he urged negotiation, but noted there are some open legal options that could be pursued if the negotiations fail. However, he declined to discuss his possible legal strategy. One audience member even wanted to know if the quiet lawyer was “tough” enough to get into a legal scrap with the Lincoln County Healthcare/MaineHealth brass. “Ask my partners,” he said with a grin.

After the meeting, a retired physician who has followed the situation closely, said: “It looks like they found the right guy.” Other audience members seemed to agree.

Since Donovan/Caron and company announced their intent to close St. Andrews Hospital last August, our community has been in an uproar. Here at the Boothbay Register and Wiscasset Newspaper, we have listened to our readers who called, sent letters, and emailed protesting the St. Andrews Hospital closure decision. We have devoted hundreds of column inches of copy to this story and will continue to follow it as it unfolds.

In talking to our friends and neighbors, at markets, stores and after church, the question always comes up. “Do you think we can save our hospital?” The answer is always, “I hope so.”

Along our streets, many of our phone poles are decorated with red hearts, handmade symbols of the hospital and solidarity with task force. A group of stalwarts have stood on the street after Sunday church services in silent protest. Some of the hospital’s biggest boosters, members of the Hospital Auxiliary, are quietly working with the task force, too.

Frankly, many in our community feel betrayed by the very folks they supported with treasure, lots of volunteer hours and big fat tax breaks. They feel they have been blindsided by the same folks they trusted would be there when (and it is when, and not if) they and their families needed emergency hospital care.

Since August, we have protested, yelled and complained. Now the time for whining and complaining is past. In the words of David Remnick, the editor of the New Yorker magazine, “It is time to open our hymnals and sing the many grim verses of Now Cometh the Hard Part.”

It appears that the task force leaders have chosen well qualified champions to act on our behalf. Now it is up to us to support them.

Jim Chaousis, the Boothbay town manager, the elected leaders from our four towns, and their loyal volunteer sidekicks, Peggy Powis and Mike Pander, are doing a good job at coordinating various community activities.

They are also collecting funds to pay the bills. Recently Southport’s Paul Coulombe sent in a $25,000 check, and other donors sent in offerings from $1,000 to $5. Total so far is $57,000 in the Task Force at Andrew’s Hospital Fund. Another $9,000 was sent in to a private fund called the Second Opinion Fund.

This time of the year, I know my mailbox is filled with appeals from good and worthy folks. I am sure your mail contains similar letters.

Still, as the season for giving gets underway, I urge you to consider supporting the task force fundraising efforts that will fund the efforts of the “pro from Dover-Foxcroft” and the quiet lawyer with the long and complicated name. It is the logical way to convince Donovan/Caron, MaineHealth and Lincoln County Healthcare to change or modify their decision and save our local hospital.

Like David Remnick said, “It is time to open our hymnals and begin the first verse of 'Now Cometh the Hard Part.'”