Don’t rush Verdugo Hills decision

[Re: “Doctors ask for more time,” March 29] I totally agree with Michael Klein that the powers that be at Verdugo Hills Hospital need to take more time in making a decision to merge this community hospital with one of those much larger facilities. This decision cannot be hurried. This decision will affect all of us in the community, and the powers that be need to remember that.

Having this wonderful community hospital has been a blessing to residents. I personally have had many interactions with Verdugo Hills Hospital. My parents, my sons and my husband have all been patients at this hospital and the care was terrific. I ended up in the ER at VHH last year, and that care was extraordinary. I was in and out of there, staples and all, within an hour and a half.

I have had friends in larger facilities and their care was good, but the patients were basically a number. At VHH the doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers go out of their way to get to know the patients and their families, and trust me that means a ton.

This is a huge decision, and it cannot be rushed. This decision will not only affect all those who work at VHH, it is going to affect us, the residents, and the powers that be need to remember that.

Lindsay Soderlund

Glendale