Chapter 26

The luncheon was extremely well attended with as many, or more, women than men. Gwen, Ms. Walker, and Steve had seats at the table with the Rotary officers and their wives and had a pleasant meal as they listened to Ms. Walker extol the virtues of building a children’s wing on the hospital. Everyone agreed that it would benefit the area, but more than a few questioned the feasibility. Could a town of less than twenty thousand support such a hospital?

That was when Gwen joined the discussion. “Why would we assume that only the people within the city limits would use the hospital? If we had a strong, reputable hospital with good staff, people from the entire area, well beyond the town limits, would gladly use it for their health care. There are no really good medical facilities within a couple hours drive. This hospital should emphasize that it’s for the entire area’s benefit and draw from all of the outlying areas for support. This cannot be a ‘Sparta only’ hospital. Maybe they