To the Editor:

I am writing to thank those who attended last night’s meeting at the Helderberg Ambulance building to discuss the future of Hilltown healthcare. We were heartened by nurse practitioner Jill Martin’s announcement that she intends to restore a medical practice in the Berne office and were energized by a wide-ranging discussion of suggestions, proposals, and feelings.

Those of us now committed to supporting Ms. Martin’s initiative now face a challenge common to all such movements: Can we transition our initial enthusiasm into effective and ultimately successful task-based activity? Can we let go of our anger and disappointment about the closing of the office and instead begin to focus positively on the challenges and opportunities in front of us?

We made a good start last evening with decisions to establish social-media presence and to expand communication about our activity. Our eventual success or failure will have a powerful impact on the quality of life throughout the Hilltowns and we encourage participation from anyone interested in our grassroots campaign.

We will shortly announce contact information for a Facebook page and for a Go Fund Me site and hope to secure increasing amounts of support from individuals concerned with the ever-developing nature of modern community medicine.

Thanks once again to the board members and captain of Helderberg Ambulance for making the squad’s building available for this meeting.

Raymond Schimmer

Berne

Editor’s note: See related story.