Public needs to get involved

I was so sad to read the IJ headline, "The hospital no one wants" (Aug. 9). That article made it sound like we were the kid no one wanted to play with at school because of "cooties."

I am a registered nurse at Marin General, working the night shift on the surgical ward. The staff continues to provide excellent, compassionate care to our patients. I'm proud to work where I live, and to work with top-notch professionals at our hospital. Our doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, lab techs, radiology techs (the entire medical team that cares for your loved ones), all have the same priority - the patient.

I just brought my mother-in-law over from the East Bay (she was transported to an emergency room and sent back home). She was admitted to Marin General and is receiving the care she should have gotten in the East Bay. MGH never would have sent her home without investigating her health issues.

I'm too busy taking care of patients and my family to get involved in the politics of the hospital, but someone needs to have a vision for our local hospital. That might mean setting aside egos and agendas and taking care of business - providing the best care for patients, having programs available for our county and stopping the bickering about what happened years ago.

We need to move forward. The clock is ticking. We are all wondering what is going to happen to our hospital when Sutter leaves in a few years. The public better get on board and start "wondering" too.

To think a hospital, in these times, can stand alone, well, it just isn't happening. Our health-care system is in crisis. No one wants to take it on (political suicide), so it will take leaders with vision, courage and support from us to make it happen.

Bonnie Kaiser, Larkspur

http://www.marinij.com/letters/ci_6655111