Dear Readers,

It is no secret that the decision to close the St. Andrews emergency room has triggered a flood of ire from folks who live and love this beautiful corner of God’s great geographical masterpiece.

These are the same folks who backed the hospital with grants, bequests and bake sales. They are the same folks who donated to the hospital’s annual campaigns. They are some of the wonderful women who each year turn cast off clothing into a hundred thousand dollar donation.

They are the customers of the institution.

They have been happy customers. There are legions of our friends who will tell you how St. Andrews skilled doctors and caring nurses saved their lives and comforted their families.

They are folks like Boothbay Harbor artist Kathleen Billis. This spring, after she was brutally mugged in a Portland grocery store parking lot, the beloved artist was helped on her way to recovery by the skilled healthcare pros at St. Andrews. She quickly tells all her friends how much she appreciated the expert care and the genuine kindness they gave her.

Now she is hopping mad at the hospital brass' recent decision.  “I feel like a hippie again. I want to make signs and march in protest,” she said.

East Boothbay’s Alan “Scrimpy” Lewis, whose family ties to the region go back generations, is just plain mad. “I feel this community has been betrayed,” he said.

They are not alone. On church steps, in parking lots, quiet seaside porches and the checkout line at Hannaford’s, people are asking two questions: How did this happen? What can we do about it?

The answer to the first question is easy. We really don’t know. 

The “experts” reached the decision behind closed doors in air conditioned offices and conferences rooms.

We live in a state where the law says you have to get a permit to add on to your front porch. You have to notify your neighbors and explain what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. But in the case of St. Andrews, it was all done on the QT. The public was locked out of the decision-making process. The patients who paid the bills and provided tax breaks were not on the inside, so they don’t know what went on, who argued for this, what numbers were used, and how the final decision was reached.

The only thing the Lincoln County Healthcare experts will say is the “spin” they give us at scripted meetings designed to soft peddle the reaction. Smiling, highly paid executives and their slick PowerPoint presentations say shutting the St. Andrews emergency room will improve the quality of patient care. It is not about the money, they say.

The second question remains. What can be done about it?

For that answer, look at our recent history. In earlier years, when faced with vital community questions, this community has found answers.

Remember, this is a community that turned a failed housing development into a magnificent botanical garden that is the envy of New England. This is a community that raised millions to construct exercise facilities for the young and old. This is a community that built a retirement community for our grandparents and decent housing for the less fortunate. This is a community that protected land providing public access to the woods and shore. This is a community that provides a good solid education for our precious children.

If we can fund a fish pier, can we find the money to keep the hospital?

When it comes to St. Andrews Hospital, should we just sit there and accept the decision of highly paid “experts” in Damariscotta or Portland, the faceless people from away? Or should we get together and figure out what to do for ourselves.

What is the answer? You tell me. Send me a letter. Drop me an email, better yet, stop in and tell me what you think we should do.

Give me your ideas. I am all ears.

Joe Gelarden