Tidal Health, Atlantic put patient care first

Congratulations to the leadership at Tidal Health and Atlantic General Hospital for bringing the two institutions together after years of competing for the loyalty and support of the coastal population.

By formally merging last week, the hospitals’ boards of directors and executives put an end to a relationship that, over the years, ran the gamut from hostile in the beginning, to stubbornly dismissive, to peaceful co-existence and finally to the realization that both hospitals offered something the other didn’t have.

For Atlantic General, that something is quick access to care, which did not exist on the Maryland coast until the hospital opened 32 years ago this month after a long and politically fraught campaign.

Its creation also engendered other assets that any hospital would want: close ties to the communities it served, benefactors who believed in its mission, solid local medical practices and a committed staff.

Tidal Health, meanwhile, has all the advantages one would expect of a much larger institution: a thriving patient care network, more doctors and specialists, and the financial wherewithal to keep up with developments in the healthcare industry.

By combining these individual operations in the way they have, the boards of directors and management of these hospitals have not only preserved their identities as well as the attributes they both enjoy but have capitalized on them to deliver better and more complete medical care for the community.

The latter, after all, is what really counts, and it’s good to see these providers acknowledge that serving the best interests of coastal area residents is and will continue to be the primary objective.