It illustrates the deep grain of history that is coming under aftack as the Lake Wales hospi­tal plans to end obstetrics. Friedlander and Hunt, two long­time Lake Wales names, and one currenily on the hospital board, were among the first to be born. This decision will cut to the heart of most Lake Wales families.

But is it the right decision? It seems to me that the hospital is at the intersection of very con­flicting forces. At this intersec­tion there can be a real train wreck if the right decisions are not made. In the big picture economics are a major force. A hospital; like any other business, must remain strong financially to pro­vide the services needed in a quality manner. If poor decisions are made it endangers not just a part of the organization, but the entire entity. If the decision were just eco­nomics you would be hard-pressed to keep the hospital open at all. But Mid-Florida is there to serve the residents and this must bepartofthe equation.

In tile current health care field, the need to be efficient and as cost effective as possible is a driving force. Normally, if you live in a small town and you don't go to the big city to buy something you can still get it, but you pay more for the conve­nience. But with health care, this is not the case: The driving force is the insurance, either pri­vate or government, and the HMOs. They determine the price and the customer (patient) can't or won't pay the extra for convenience.

Another force is the current state of our legal system. You have to be staffed properly and completely or you leave yourself wide open to poor service and to lawsuits that can cripple an organization. You have to have volume to keep the people busy, active and prepared.

The final force is that of the heart. If you live in Lake Wales you want your town to have an active hospital that can bring your child into the world. You might have been born there; you want your family to start there.

It is easy for Dr. Hardman and the citizens of Lake Wales to demand that the hospital contin­ue to offer obstetrics at the local level. After all, we do not have to face immediately the economic problems that could ensue from this decision. Of course, over time we would pay the price if a poor decision took down the entire hospital.

Ihave hadthe opportunity to look at the economics of the health care industry from a very specific area of service. Understanding the current state of the health care business and the distortions that the federal government and the legal system have imposed on the industry, I would not like to be the one to make this decision.

Lance Anastasio, Mid-Florida and the Lake Wales community are at that intersection. Mr. Anastasio must direct traffic is such a manner that the hospital can provide the best service and as many different services as possible under very difficult cir­cumstances. We should not over­look the very real possibility that eliminating obstetrics may be the best decision for all the people of Lake Wales by provid­ing a stronger and more vital hospital.