To the Editor:
(Re: “Osprey Medical Clinic owner's silence under pressure a test of professional integrity”)
It was with great disappointment that I read Erin Carr’s letter and her misunderstanding of many in the community. Ms. Carr mentions, “The biggest complaint by the community is that they have not heard the owners’ side or been provided details by the owners.” I would say that is not even close to the biggest complaint. The biggest complaint is that when the owners locked the doors of the Osprey Medical Clinic, as Mr. Ross wrote in March 6 Advance, “they neglected to consider the impact it could have on the health, welfare and perhaps even the lives of up to 3,000 patients” — that is the complaint and the hardship.
Ms. Carr talks about the “high road”, but any leader and thoughtful community member taking the high road will do everything within their power to make sure that the people in their community are receiving the essential service of their physician’s care, and not barring members of their community from this service.
No one blocked Ms. Carr’s place of business; all one has to do is watch the Global News clip from Feb. 28 of this rally and you will see that. In fact, quite the opposite, Ms. Carr’s husband was quite loud and verbally aggressive in making sure that people did not walk on the public sidewalk outside her place of business. Ms. Carr mentions her volunteer hours, and that is great, but some people that desperately need their doctor’s care, braved the very cold elements to volunteer their time to come near your partner and tried to get him to recant his decision, apologize to the doctors and do whatever it takes to get those three wonderful doctors to stay in Creston. These brave, caring people who participated in this initiative collectively have probably spent decades of hours volunteering, and are some truly noble people — hopefully some of them will aspire to lead politically. They have already proven true leadership in so many other wonderful, caring ways.
Ms. Carr asks how running her business out of town would help the community. It does not, but no one that I am aware of is running her business out of town. Locking the doors of Osprey Medical Clinic, which employed a number of people and provided an essential service to 3,000 people looks like running a business out of town.
It is too bad Ms. Carr misinterpreted so many people’s heartfelt need to get adequate medical attention.
Creston