The decision to close the emergency room in 2013, thus to lose the designation as a hospital, and, in the process,  to eliminate fifty positions, was made by the Saint Andrews Board in a closed and non-transparent process. This was made evident to me by the fact that the first meeting they scheduled for area legislators was Friday, August 3, a week after the decision had already been made. This closed process has left many members of the community angry and disappointed, to say the least. 

The process was within the rights of the private, nonprofit corporation. But for years and years, St. Andrews has professed to be part and parcel of the community; yet, when the biggest decision of its corporate life was at hand, the community was not significantly involved. To be sure, some members of the Saint Andrews Board are members of our community, and are honorable, able, smart and compassionate people. But I believe they took some bad advice when they hired a national consultant, and kept the process under wraps until it was over. 

When I heard about the decision on Wednesday after the meeting with the Boothbay Selectmen on Tuesday night, and before the final decision was to be made by the Board of the parent Company, (Maine Heath Care) I made a request, as did some others, that the final decision be delayed so that the community could be involved. That request, along with the others, was rejected.

The impact of this decision on safety in our towns is dwarfed only by the negative economic impact of the loss of fifty jobs. These jobs are a rarity here; full time, well paying jobs with benefits. The estimate is that for every dollar in income lost, there will be a three-dollar loss in the economy of the area. Then there is the personal cost to some of these employees who will not find similar jobs soon, if ever again, making worse an already high unemployment situation here. 

The impact on the ambulance service will be great. No longer will the ambulance be able to take people to Saint Andrews. Longer trip times over bad roads (River Road) or the crowded Route 1 corridor will take a toll not only on safety, but also on the service itself. 

What can be done other than “wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth?”  I think there are some avenues worth exploring, and would like to work with others who may share this view. Could St. Andrews, a private corporation, be replaced by a community-based organization? Such a thing has happened in other rural areas struggling to keep small hospitals open. Fees, some taxes, and private giving could fund such an organization. This would have to be a decision made by a vote the all the people of the area.

This week, I have filed a bill in Augusta to get this discussion going. This may not be feasible, but should be at least discussed. 

If the community had been at least brought in on the discussion, these and other options could have been discussed with longer lead times and possibly better outcomes, Nonetheless, it’s worth it now to pick up the pieces and try see if there is another way to keep a small hospital, with an ER,  alive in our community for the future.