By Marty Richman
A hundred years is a long time in anybody’s book. Late next year
Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital will celebrate its one-hundredth
birthday
– 100 years – a century of service to the people of San Benito
County and we ought to throw it a hell of a birthday party.
A hundred years is a long time in anybody’s book. Late next year Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital will celebrate its one-hundredth birthday – 100 years – a century of service to the people of San Benito County and we ought to throw it a hell of a birthday party.
The birth and life of Hazel Hawkins Hospital is a very touching story, a perfect example of how good things can spring from bad events. That can happen only if you are inspired, not bitter. Mr. T. S. Hawkins conceived the hospital and named it in honor of his beloved young granddaughter Hazel, who died tragically of appendicitis in March 1902. He did not want others to experience that same suffering, so he did something about it; he got a hospital built.
Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital opened in 1907 and since Mr. Hawkins’ original inspiration, tens of thousands of residents of have been supporting the hospital for themselves, their loved ones, and future generations, and the hospital has been supporting them and caring for them in return.
While we are partying next year, we should not forget to toast ourselves. The current residents of San Benito County are kicking in their hard-earned cash to help the hospital modernize and expand. Everyone benefits from Hazel Hawkins Hospital and we’ve been getting those benefits for almost 100 years. Think about that when you’re beating the drums and chanting, “We don’t want it – we don’t need it” over the proposed new sewer plant.
I know nothing about running a modern hospital, just the cold facts – bed count, square feet, and a multi-million-dollar budget. I’m not an analyst, so the numbers do not mean much to me, nor does the latest whiz-bang techno-gyro body-examiner, (although they have one if it’s needed). However, I do know that when my wife was in their care she told me they had treated her “great.” A satisfied customer is the best reference you can get. That impressed me because how they treat you has a lot to say about who they are.
We are a sparsely populated county located up against two populous counties, one with seven times, the other with 30 times our population, and we are very lucky indeed to have our own community hospital. Just think of going to Gilroy or Salinas so you can access a full-fledged emergency room or have a small “procedure,” as Billy Crystal calls it, superstitiously; that’s not a pretty picture. Having Hazel Hawkins Hospital around always provides comfort – a safety net while you’re walking life’s high wire. You hope you’ll never need it, but if you do … well, better to have it and not need it, than the other way around.
Hospitals, like everything else these days, run on money. Of course, if you need the Emergency Room RIGHT NOW the cost will be the last thing on your mind, but cost is a fact, and you will be brought back to earth when you get your bill. Everyone complains about the cost of healthcare, but they all want the best healthcare they can get, and that doesn’t come cheap. Just the other day I heard that some hospitals are offering a personalized concierge service to lure customers, no kidding. As far as I know, you can’t get that service at Hazel Hawkins – yet, maybe next year.
Even without concierge service, it’s difficult for Hazel Hawkins to stay in the black especially considering the meager reimbursement they get from some government programs and the services that they provide to the uninsured, but they have wisely developed a program to make sure those who qualify enroll and apply for assistance. That relieves some of the financial burden.
Hazel Hawkins Hospital has been helping us stay in good health for almost 100 years, so what can you do to return the favor? First, support the hospital, you can donate, volunteer, raise funds and make yourself useful. Second, use the facility when you need it, that’s why it’s there. Sure, it doesn’t have concierge service, but that’s not healthcare anyway. Third, provide the hospital administration with your feedback and desires – and not just your complaints. That way they can promote the programs you like, and improve, change, or eliminate, the things you don’t. Finally, we can all thank Mr. Hawkins and everyone involved in the almost 100-year history of public service at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital; they all worked to turn his family tragedy into our families’ benefit.
Marty Richman is a Hollister resident. He can be reached at [email protected]
