It was a pleasure to read of the new hip replacement operations being done at Swedish/Ballard in last week's paper (June 4, 2008). It is always great to have access to the latest surgical advances that result in better outcomes and shortened recovery time. We all like that. However, for me, the best part is that these advanced procedures are being performed right here in Ballard at our own hospital.

I regard this as a tangible example that Swedish/Ballard is indeed on the way back. I say this because it was a mere two years ago that the Ballard News-Tribune reported on plans to convert the Swedish/Ballard campus from a full service acute care hospital to a "comprehensive ambulatory center with low intensity inpatient services." That would have been a disaster.

We would have lost many important services and the emergency room could have been reduced to a simple urgent care center. How things have changed. Swedish recently announced a major expansion plan for the Ballard campus and has apparently committed to upgrading the existing facilities over time. We understand that serious efforts are being made to recruit new physicians to the campus to replace doctors who have retired or left the area. All of this points to a revitalized hospital for Ballard and the surrounding communities.

I couldn't be happier with these developments. We are so fortunate to have a hospital with medical offices for doctors conveniently located in central Ballard. It is a tremendous asset for the community and I'm sure we all look forward to these much need improvements.

Eddy Harrison

Ballard