Dear Editor,

I was saddened to learn in the recent Hartselle Enquirer (Jan. 11) that the Hartselle Medical Center was scheduled to close on January 31, 2012. This medical center has been of enormous benefit to our community, and it has played a major role in my own career and in the health care of my family.

My first job at age 16, back in 1961, was as an “orderly” at Hartselle Hospital (as it was then known), and I continued to work in that capacity for the next five summers. The doctors with whom I worked were Drs. Blanton, Duncan, Guyton, and Moody, and they not only inspired me to become a doctor, but they cared for me and my family with warmth, kindness, and skill.

When faced with difficult problems in my daily life as a surgeon at a major university medical center, I think back to how they expressed caring and concern for their patients over 50 years ago. I write to thank the many health care professionals who have been involved with the Hartselle Medical Center since its opening in 1948, and to note my debt to that institution and its many fine people in my own decision to become a physician and surgeon. Warm best wishes.

Thomas F. Dodson, MD

Professor of Surgery

Emory University Department of Surgery