I, plus my two brothers and their spouses, live in Sebago. Bridgton is our hospital. Our commute time to Bridgton is roughly a third (20 minutes) of the time it would take to go to Lewiston (60 to 80 minutes.)
More important is the excellence of the staff; their genuine caring for our well-being; and they know us by name, not by number. We have come to know the doctors and staff and have a rapport with them. Bridgton provides us with primary care and has treated us for diabetes, cardiovascular problems, arthritis, orthopedics, urology, podiatry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, bone density testing and lab work.
Bridgton is a critical-access hospital, which is designed to reduce the financial vulnerability of rural hospitals and improve access to health care by keeping essential services in rural communities (Balanced Budget Act of 1997).
Bridgton/Rumford hospitals have won awards for outstanding medical services and are financially sound. Lewiston, however, is losing money. All three hospitals’ staffs voted “no confidence” in president/CEO Jeff Brickman and his policies, but the board voted to have Bridgton/Rumford go down the rabbit hole with Lewiston and Brickman, rather than have Brickman learn from Bridgton/Rumford and CEO Devid Frum about how to improve Lewiston.
I suggest that the board accept Brickman’s resignation and bring back Frum and the people who made Bridgton/Rumford rise to the top. Let’s have live doctors and nurses, not electronic gizmos that dispense aspirin and tell us how to get to Lewiston or Portland.
John “Jock” MacGregor, Sebago
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