Living in the Lewiston-Auburn community all my life, I’ve seen repeated lack of cooperation between our two hospitals.
I’m sure if the public were to read each hospital’s mission statement it would read something like, “Our goal is to provide the best possible care for our patients and the community.”
But the Sun Journal’s front-page article Feb. 21 shows me again that they don’t live by their words.
When St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center decides to send their critical heart patients to Maine Medical Center rather than across town to Central Maine Medical Center, it states clearly that the patient’s welfare is not their priority.
There has been an obvious need for another cardiac center in central Maine. We’ve seen friends and family members suffer for days and weeks waiting to be admitted to MMC for critical heart procedures. MMC has more work than they can accommodate.
If St. Mary’s could support CMMC’s program rather than sending their patients to MMC, it would speed up the development and success of CMMC’s program and benefit our community.
Each hospital has its strengths and they should work together for the improvement of this community and welfare of its people.
Mark Couturier, Auburn
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