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To our health
Lou Marzeles
News Editor
I'm still speaking as a newcomer to Goldendale, you understand. From what I hear around town, newcomer status is variable, with some putting it at a few years and others as pretty much the rest of one's natural life. I understand that. Sometimes I feel that way about just being on the planet.
Newcomers have newcomer eyes, though, and those can often afford fresh perspectives. Being new here, I wanted to know about services in town-where do you get your car fixed, what are the good restaurants, and, of course, what does one do for good health care? In Goldendale, of course, you don't get a lot of variety, except in opinion about such things as car repair facilities, restaurants, and, yes, even health care. The opinions aren't about where these are, since there just aren't that many of any. The opinions are about the quality that exists at any of these services, except, I've found, for a very few companies that everyone agrees are excellent. That's really saying something, when nine out of 10 people in a town this size all tell you that a particular company is really good.
That hasn't been the case with health care services. Speaking totally unscientifically, which is my favorite way to speak, my casual and totally informal personal survey reveals that opinion is split about health services around here. I do have to report, though, that opinion in my personal survey is running about 80 percent favorable toward Klickitat Valley Health. To be sure, there are some who have expressed profound concerns and issued dire warnings about KVH, some of it based on their own personal experiences, and I take them at their word. I'm also keeping their word in the perspective of lots of other words I hear about KVH, and, as I say, the sizable majority seems quite supportive of the organization.
Saying this will not placate those who feel KVH is, at best, unspeakably incompetent, or, at worst, a sinister place that must be watched vigilantly. That's fine. We must all take our stands as we see fit, and I hold that against no one. But neither will I hold it against KVH that some people don't like it, any more than I hold it against people that some people don't like them. We all approach obtaining services in largely the same way, from personal testimonials from people we know, or, in the case of the newcomer (like me), just from gathering information from as wide a base of people who know the area as possible. It seems to work.
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