Beware a swift kick

0

To the Editor:

Since moving here nine years ago, I’ve often heard and read about problems at the hospital, mainly to do with cost and administration. I’ve also heard city visitors express surprise that Vineyarders rely on an island hospital for anything more grave than having a splinter removed at the emergency room.

Luckily, I haven’t needed much more care than that until a recent knee injury. I limped between multiple departments — orthopedics, radiology, lab, and so on — before being wheeled into the operating room this week. The quality of the care was uniformly outstanding, and so was the close and kind attention I received from every single person involved: my surgeon Dr. Cater, the technicians, the desk staff, and the nurses, including one who laughingly tied my johnny as I searched for a bathroom with my backside exposed.

My limited experience of city hospitals hasn’t been like that. Mostly, I’ve felt like an inmate in an overcrowded prison where the guards rarely dispense a shred of information or human kindness. So be warned, off-Island snobs. When my knee heals, I’m kicking the next one who asks why I didn’t seek treatment in the big city.

Tony Horwitz

West Tisbury