Letters to the editor

May 07, 2007

Hospitals, schools need more help

To the editor:

In this post-9/11 world, hospitals play a pivotal role. In times of need, people look to the hospital for assistance and health care. Yet, Maryland hospitals can't function without the hard work the more than 80,000 hospital employees provide 24/7.

A hospital staffed with caring employees is a wonderful prescription for a community's good health. While we often take these selfless individuals for granted, these caregivers are the unsung heroes in our midst.

As we celebrate Hospital Week (May 6-12), it gives all of us a chance to recognize the many contributions our hospitals and their employees make to our lives and well-being.

Yet, there's a troubling issue facing health care today - a serious shortage in health care personnel, especially among nurses, imaging technologists, and respiratory therapists. These shortages make it more difficult for hospitals to deliver compassionate and high-caliber care to all Marylanders.

We need to find ways to increase the number of men and women pursuing health-care careers.

But first we must address the shortage among the faculty who train these professionals. We need to increase the number of qualified health care teachers in our colleges and universities. Then we can expand enrollment in nursing and other allied health occupations.

Hospitals and their dedicated staff are an important part of every community's infrastructure which need the continued support of the public and lawmakers. Without them, every community in Maryland will face a diminished quality of life.

Calvin M. Pierson
President
Maryland Hospital
Association

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