I did not choose to speak last night, because I felt that the many who did covered everything that mattered very well. Here is the letter that I sent to the governor and commissioner of public health today:
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My name is Cyndi Lavin, and I'm the director of Stone Soup Kitchen, a hot meal and food pantry program located in Ayer. We serve anyone, from any town, with no questions asked.
I am an extremely privileged person. I have a car, a partner in life who also has a car, a roof over my head, food on my table, and the ability to drive somewhere else to get medical care. Not so with all of my friends who come to join me for dinner and to get groceries. Those who come on foot to pick up their groceries also go on foot up to the hospital for medical care. There is no public transportation in this area to get to another hospital. They don't have enough money for groceries, so they certainly don't have the money for an Uber. Going by ambulance is obviously for emergencies only, not their routine care. And it's also not free.
Many of my friends are beside themselves with anxiety over what they are going to do about losing their local medical care. What are they to do? Every time I get in my car to do any number of things I rely on it for, I worry about them.
I know that Ralph de la Torre and the upper admins at Nashoba Valley Medical Center will not be losing sleep over this, but I am, and I know many of the rest of us are too. I was hoping to find much more of an advocate in each of you, the Governor of our State and the Commissioner of Public Health. Disappointment is much too pale a word to describe how we are all feeling about you right now.
This state can find money for literally anything that it wants to. My assumption in this case is it just doesn't want to.
My name is Cyndi Lavin, and I'm the director of Stone Soup Kitchen, a hot meal and food pantry program located in Ayer. We serve anyone, from any town, with no questions asked.
I am an extremely privileged person. I have a car, a partner in life who also has a car, a roof over my head, food on my table, and the ability to drive somewhere else to get medical care. Not so with all of my friends who come to join me for dinner and to get groceries. Those who come on foot to pick up their groceries also go on foot up to the hospital for medical care. There is no public transportation in this area to get to another hospital. They don't have enough money for groceries, so they certainly don't have the money for an Uber. Going by ambulance is obviously for emergencies only, not their routine care. And it's also not free.
Many of my friends are beside themselves with anxiety over what they are going to do about losing their local medical care. What are they to do? Every time I get in my car to do any number of things I rely on it for, I worry about them.
I know that Ralph de la Torre and the upper admins at Nashoba Valley Medical Center will not be losing sleep over this, but I am, and I know many of the rest of us are too. I was hoping to find much more of an advocate in each of you, the Governor of our State and the Commissioner of Public Health. Disappointment is much too pale a word to describe how we are all feeling about you right now.
This state can find money for literally anything that it wants to. My assumption in this case is it just doesn't want to.
With deep sorrow and a certain amount of rage,
Cyndi Lavin
Image via Rachel Bailey
Thank you Cyndi for all you do for our community.
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