Hospital Guesthouse Amenities Reflects Well on Good Sam

Corvallis hospital makes Salem residents comfortable.

Courtesy: Sam Halth

(SALEM, Ore.) - Good health is not always a given, so we probably shouldn't take it for granted. This Thanksgiving I want to offer my gratitude to the superb medical staff at the Good Samaritan Medical Center in nearby Corvallis. It happens that my urologist has his office located there. When a serious bladder blockage issue was discovered recently, my family opted to take surgery there to help my plumbing go mainstream.

The 35-plus mile journey there posed an early morning challenge, especially when hospital admission time was scheduled for an early 6:30 a.m.

We weren't mentally geared to drive there from Salem at 5:30 am rooster call. Fortunately, in casual chitchat we learned of the Mario Pastega Guesthouse on the hospital campus. A 93-year old beverage executive had donated the facility for out-of-towners like us. What an absolute marvel in our midst. Very modern and extremely clean. Kitchen cooking privileges and plenty of canned foods in the pantry. Supportive staff to help out. And lots of fellow patients with unusual stories to share that boosted our morale immensely.

We hope that sometime during this decade that some philanthropist will step up and get a start-up for funding a guesthouse for distant visitors who use Salem Hospital.

Such hospitality would greatly boost Salem's reputation as a place of infinite care and compassion. This Thanksgiving, we offer thanks to Good Samaritan for its being a good neighbor, a welcome alternative to doing early-bird driving.

Charitable Biker Event Incites 'Criminal Profiling' from Police - Brad Betz for Salem-News.com

He also launched the nation's first tele-conference on health education for shut-ins, created the Eldermentors project in VA to pair retirees with immigrant students needing role models, and was the main catalyst behind CCTV's "Public Public" panel show here in Salem. Lee received his BA in International Relations and an MSW in community organization. He currently serves as a member of Salem's Library Advisory Board. To send Lee an email, please write to this address: luckycoyne@yahoo.com