To the editor:
Once upon a time, there were two hospitals in Lynn. There was Lynn Hospital, a sprawling complex on Washington Street, and a smaller Union Hospital on Lynnfield Street. Both provided meticulous care to anyone who needed treatment. It didn’t matter if you were rich or poor, or if you had or didn’t have health insurance. Everyone was treated the same.
All that seemed to change when the wrecking crew demolished Lynn Hospital and the nursing school next to the hospital in 1995. All that was left was a huge track of land. Stop & Shop eventually opened a store where a small part of Lynn Hospital once stood.
Despite losing Lynn Hospital, the citizens of Lynn still had Union Hospital. And even though it was somewhat smaller than Lynn Hospital, it still provided more than adequate care to anyone who went through its doors.
Sadly, Union Hospital closed a few years ago. That means that anyone who has a medical emergency, or if they want to talk to a doctor, they have to travel to Salem Hospital, a trip that is often difficult, particularly for the handicapped or the elderly.
As anyone who has been in the emergency room at Salem Hospital knows, you have to wait several hours before you see a doctor.
I believe a major mistake the medical hierarchy made was to close both hospitals in Lynn. Common sense dictates that a city the size of Lynn needs a small community hospital, although the politicians will say the money isn’t available for such a project. I say that’s a lot of “bull.” America is still the richest country in the world, and the cost of building a hospital in Lynn would be a mere drop in the bucket.
Sincerely,
Edward J. Julian
Lynn
