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'Do whatever it takes' for the hospital TO THE EDITOR: Recently my family had a great need for the services at Wills Memorial Hospital. My husband's father became very ill in another town two hours from Washington. During this time, my sister-in-law, Victoria Johnson Harvey, spent five weeks on the road driving back and forth trying to care for him. Upon discharge from the hospital, due to his serious illnesses, he needed a rehab/physical therapy facility to strengthen him for daily living. He needed a facility that had swing bed services. After numerous phone calls to several facilities and phone calls from several friends, we discovered that Wills Memorial Hospital - right here in Washington, Georgia - had just what our family needed for our father. What a blessing! We shall always be grateful to Wills Memorial Hospital's administration, the doctors, the DON, the nurses, the social workers, and the staff for the quick, kind, and professional way they met and handled our needs. Read the rest of this letter because you do not want this to become your story too! I grew up in Corning, Arkansas, a small town very similar to Washington, Georgia. Twenty-five years ago this town had a 40-bed hospital facility built for the rural surrounding area. This hospital was a 501 C3 Special Issue Revenue Bond Indenture issued by our city. The hospital had a local Board of Directors. American Medical International Developers built and equipped the hospital and along with the Board managed it for 10 years. This town that previously had no doctors, suddenly found it had four physicians and one board-certified surgeon. New industry began to locate in the area and real estate flourished. However, ten years later, the town and entire community took the hospital for granted. They did not listen or respond when public support was requested and needed. They did nothing! The hospital finally dosed. Today, this town has no doctors and no medical clinics. The closest medical help is 30-40 miles away in another direction. Newcomers ceased moving to the area, many people moved away, and industry left. The town has been unable to recruit newcomers or doctors because one of the first questions always asked is "Do you have a hospital?" This town is now almost nonexistent - only a shadow of what it once was or what it still could be! It is very difficult to operate a small hospital under 50 beds at a profit level. Therefore, I strongly urge the city, the county, politicians, churches, clubs, groups and all the citizens of the entire community to pull together and support this hospital. I beg you to do more fund-raisers than you think you can, to have more appreciation dinners than possible, and to use whatever "creative means" you can to discover ways to help maintain this valuable asset - Washington's local hospital - your hospital. Please do not let what happened to my small town happen to Washington, Georgia. Be grateful, become excited, and get busy. Do whatever it takes to keep this hospital! LINDA & WAYNE JOHNSON
Cave City, Arkansas
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