Hometown conveniences for us

Small towns are wonderful. I am reading a series about a small town in Virginia that reminds me of Nevada, except that we don't seem to have a murder every chapter. Or maybe we do? We just don't spend much time at the post office talking about it or letting our cats, dogs, mice and possums help us spy on the villains.

But this small town also has a nice hospital similar to ours, only not quite as good I think. It also has some very concerned doctors, but there aren't enough of them to serve the community. We are blessed that there are not many empty offices in our nice clinic.

I get a thrill each time I stop to look at the portrait of the clinic's founder, Dr. Pascoe. He not only founded the clinic, he founded several of our children, and relieved at least one of his tonsils. We could get him to go to the doctor, easily by asking if he wanted to go take the elevator ride again. He usually did. Of course we are referring to the "old" clinic shared with Dr. Pearse and further down the hall two other doctors all of these served their patients with one bathroom, but we had excellent care.

But now we have a hospital with a bathroom in each suite of offices in several halls, and other specified labs, ERs and cafeterias. None of us have to wait anymore!

I spent several days there recently having various types of tests that called for X-Rays, lab tests, CAT Scans, head scans and lots of other things, I am not pronouncing correctly I didn't have to go out of town once to get all of these specialties done.

Since I don't do well on my feet I was met at the door by a volunteer with a wheelchair who took me where I needed to be. (A long ways from the long narrow stairway used by the old Ammerman Hospital families for years.). The ladies at the gift shop, the information desks, (men too, don't forget) and those who check us in each time we are there, all treat us as if we are old friends. By now I guess we are old friends, I've seen so much of them these days,

But the best things of all are the various types of doctors we can visit. I see two different "-ologists," a nurse practioneer who keeps the "ologists'' records together in my records, and numerous technicians, nurses, and important people walking around the office area which I have not had the pleasure of meeting except in personal ways in the past.

We have free parking and handicapped parking which makes quite a change from finding a space on Cherry Street in the old days. In fact, we have about all that can possibly be given to us for our health care. And, unfortunately if that isn't enough there is a nice square concrete pad for a flight to an even larger hospital, or a fleet of ambulances ready to take us home, take us to a different hospital or maybe even just pick up our pieces after an accident.

I had a telephone experience with trying to get help about a loved one in a distant hospital and the friendliness was adequate, but it sure didn't equal that comfort we receive right here at home where some of the staff already know you by name, or have known you for years.

I love little towns, and I love to have been a part of this little town since the days of a long stairway to a hospital, to the comforts and care we experience today.