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(See letter in PDF.)
(Copy of text.)
Dear Friends,
I would like to thank you for the
support and kind wishes you have given Abraham Lincoln Memorial
Hospital during our recent relocation to 200 Stahlhut Drive. We are
humbled, gratified and honored by the continuing trust you place in
us to improve your health. Barely one month after moving into our
new home, we are confident that we have provided our community with
a facility that will preserve our mission for the next generation of
patients – for our children and our grandchildren.
We are now at a point in our project,
however, where we need to take action on our old hospital. As you
know, the facility at 315 8th street was our home for over 55 years.
During that time it provided our community with an exceptional place
of healing and a source of pride. To say that it means a great deal
is a gross understatement – we care about it very much. That’s why
we have been so deliberate in our approach.
For the last 18 months we have engaged
regional experts to find a new use for the old hospital. Our
attempts have not been successful and there is no reason to believe
the results of such efforts will change. This leaves us with a
choice. We could do nothing and watch the building we care so much
about slowly decay. Or, we could take action, do the right thing and
raze the building. By taking this action we would create eight acres
of new green space in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
After much thoughtful consideration by
our hospital’s management team and our board of directors, we have
chosen to do the right thing. In the very near future we will begin
to prepare the site for demolition. Although it will be sad to see
the old building torn down, it would be even more sad to sit back,
watch it be boarded up and then deteriorate over time. The pain of
that image is too great. So, too, would be the risk it could pose to
public safety. In addition, the possibilities of what could be done
with the remaining green space are too exciting to ignore.
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Our new hospital represents the future
of healthcare in our community. However, we recognize how difficult
it can be to turn away from the past as this landmark that has
touched thousands of lives over the decades is demolished.
Admittedly, the joy and pride associated with our new hospital will
be dampened the day this work begins. But, the time to pivot to the
future is clear and we must not turn away. Abraham Lincoln Memorial
Hospital has been fulfilling its mission to improve health for
nearly 110 years. And, thanks to the visionary and courageous
actions of our community, we will do the same for the next
generation of patients.
Sincerely,
Dolan C. Dalpoas
President and Chief Executive Officer
[Letter copied from file received
from
Abraham Lincoln Memorial
Hospital]
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