Letter to the editor

Dear Editor –

I have been reluctant to write a letter to the editor, as I know I don’t know all the facts or happenings at Dahl Memorial Hospital. I was very thankful that Dr. Grace Blair wrote a letter. With her knowledge of the medical field, I felt she was able to voice a professional opinion about the situation. Some of what she wrote were things I was concerned about and probably other have the same concerns.

The DMH Board of Directors has a thankless task of watching over DMH. Its members have stepped up to volunteer their time to an important, much-needed resource in this community. I, for one, am very appreciative of the work they do.

There are some things that could be handled differently. For one, with the hospital administrator leaving, there was no mention of it to the community or to the residents of the nursing home. Ryan Tooke was very visible to the nursing home residents, greeting them in the morning and interacting with the residents as time permitted during the day. It would be good to have some information shared with the community. When my husband and I moved to Ekalaka, we joined the DMH association. I thought we would be notified of meeting dates and times; we never received any information. The meeting that was held in June was the first notification I have seen. The notice was on Facebook, and if a person does not use Facebook, they had no way of knowing about the meeting. It would be helpful if that information would be posted in the Eagle with meeting date and time.

I understand there is a level of confidentiality that must be followed, but there should also be some transparency for the community and its members

It would be helpful if the DMH Board of Directors would share its visions and goals for the hospital and the nursing home. As the situation stands, it leaves the taxpayers wondering what is happening what is the future, or if there will be meetings to discuss what the future holds.

Sincerely.

Jeri Thieme