Editor,

I was concerned and annoyed after reading your May 10 article about the service at Swedish Ballard Hospital changing. It brought back memories of my mother and the others in Ballard who joined together to knock on doors to raise money for a Ballard Community Hospital and now we will no longer have a full service hospital. It is upsetting.

I don't know what kind of survey that Swedish Hospital took but it is evident to me it does not reflect a true picture of what is happening with Ballard's growth.

We are indeed having a vertical growth with condos but anyone who has looked east between 15th and 11th Avenue above Market Street, will see one family homes being replaced with two family homes on one lot so Ballard and the surrounding area too are experiencing a population growth.

When a community has a core hospital it is serviced by doctors that surround it and with the loss of a full inpatient care facility, doctors will probably move up to "pill hill," or the suburbs thus breaking down more of our community's health care services.

Losing a full service hospital and the flight of doctors will put a burden on all of Ballard's elderly and low income people who will have to pay for cabs and ambulances while seeking health care.

I am skeptical about what Swedish's long-term goal is for their Ballard Campus, with a building that is half in use and if their move is just the first step in our hospital's demise. That would be a great loss and a real tragedy for our community and it sure isn't the legacy that those that worked so hard many years ago to build Ballard's Community Hospital, would want for us.

Ballard needs to some long term care rooms so I sincerely hope that the Swedish Board will reconsider its plan.

It is unfortunate now a days that the health industry is such big business and once again the needy and ordinary folks are the ones who suffer and are at risk.

Geraldine Hansen

Ballard