Dear editor:

As an 11-year resident of Chilton County I have had to use an emergency room only a few times, but after my son was rear-ended by another vehicle last week, I have realized how important a hospital is to this community.

This is a perfect example of taking something for granted until you no longer have it.

We had to go to Prattville emergency room and wait 3.5 hours without being seen.

When asking the registration clerk why there was such a long wait, although she was kind and helpless, she commented that they were very busy. Understand, we were still in the waiting room during that time. When I told her that we would leave and go somewhere else, she stated that since we had already waited that long that we might as well continue to wait.

Only two people had actually come from the back of the emergency room in that amount of time. We left and came home untreated. My son only had what we hope was a slight headache and no more problems since.

We so desperately need our hospital open, and I for one will crusade even harder to get it reopened and never take it for granted again.

Rhonda Headley, Verbena