Thankful for a quality healthcare close to home

To the Editor:

To the Putnam County community:

On June 4, 2012, I had the opportunity to pay an unexpected visit to the Putnam County Hospital emergency room, which resulted in major emergency surgery and a seven-day stay at Putnam County Hospital.

My family and I are so grateful that we live in a community that has a local hospital that offers fine professional services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we are so thankful for Dr. Palanca's surgical skills and those of his surgical team.

We are blessed in this community to have a hospital and staff who provide the following services: 1) specific medical and surgical care as dictated by need; 2) triage, stabilization and transfer of patients who need the complex care of larger facilities/if patients aren't stabilized, they will never make it to the next level of care; 3) outpatient services and consulting physicians/specialists in areas too numerous to mention here; 4) outstanding oncology care; 5) community services as the needs arise.

After working 38 years in the health care field, and living long enough to have experienced medical and surgical care at several large Indianapolis hospitals, I feel somewhat qualified to assess quality of care given in the hospital setting.

My stay at Putnam County Hospital provided rapid and competent emergency room assessment of symptoms, appropriate and excellent surgical intervention, and professional quality of care from every department I encountered during my stay.

I had the reassurance that my family would be kept informed and comforted during my time in the hospital, and peace of mind knowing that we didn't need to spend miles and time on the road traveling to access the care needed.

No institution created by man is perfect, but where would we all be if we needed emergency medical care and there was no hospital available for miles?

A grateful Putnam County resident,

Marge English

Greencastle