There are many places Mainers would list as a good place to sit down and enjoy a winter storm coming in on a Saturday night, but the waiting room of the Maine Medical Center emergency department is probably near the bottom of all of those lists. That's where I was over the Presidents Day weekend, and while it certainly limited my enjoyment of the storm, it gave me a renewed sense of appreciation for the many, many people who help make that overtaxed but essential resource work.
The village of people who provide care to all who come there regardless of race, creed or income -- nurses, EMTs, administrative staff, doctors, PAs, security, orderlies, custodial staff -- deal with an onslaught of physical and mental health issues, and they do so with respect for individual dignity and empathy for family and friends of the sick and injured.
Yes, there is much to be said for the need to improve the system for the delivery of adequate health care to those who need it. But on a snowy Saturday night, the people in the ER did the hard and exhausting work of making that system work as best as they could. And for that, they deserve recognition and praise.
Sean Mahoney
Falmouth
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