Hospital location is poor planning

To the Editor:

Carbon County’s recent decision to build a 130,000-square-foot hospital on a parcel of vacant farmland in Franklin Township is an example of poor planning. To best serve the community, a full-service hospital such as the one planned for Franklin Township should be centrally located in or near a commercial district that is easily accessible by public or private transportation for local residents and walk-in patients, preferably an area with an established business community that can provide the goods and services necessary for the operation of a complex facility.

People in need of hospital care are often indigent, without vehicles of their own, or too ill to drive, and should not be required to travel to an isolated rural area with no access to public transportation or nearby support services. A full-service hospital should be within easy reach, or walking distance, of shops, restaurants, pharmacies, entertainment, etc. for the benefit of patients and their families and visitors, and the hospital staff.

An empty farm field in a rural setting surrounded by forest and vacant land does not meet these conditions. Carbon County should focus on improving the facilities that are already available in many of our communities and business districts rather than developing open space for the sake of “growth,” with little or no thought for the logistics of how this development will fit into the larger landscape or truly serve the needs of the people.

Juliet Perrin

Albrightsville