Those now experiencing the facilities and achievements of Lawrence Memorial Hospital might think things have always been this way, but the local institution has had countless stops and starts on the road to its current level of achievement. It has been blessed time and again with good people willing to serve on boards, as administrators and as supporters. It all didn’t come easily.

For years the hospital was in effect “run” by Dr. Mary Boyden, who did a phenomenal job with limited funds and resources. Then began a series of up and down times as Lawrence and its medical needs grew. For example, 25 years ago, hospital admissions nationally and locally were down and many people were leaving here for hospital care in Kansas City and Topeka.

The LMH board said that even though admissions were at their lowest point since 1977, when the “new” building was occupied, it was no time to panic. Financial director Dennis Strathmann said the hospital had been able to cut costs and stay within its operating budget. Blue Cross-Blue Shield, the state’s largest health insurance provider, said that some hospitals might go broke in the near future due to the way medical services were being reimbursed. There were legitimate fears about the future of LMH.

Confidence in the local institution was a far cry from what it is now. Again, good people with dedication and imagination stepped forward and began to alter the picture. Staffing, medical and otherwise, improved along with updated facilities. Broad public support was sought and gained and before long there was a waiting list for people wanting to work there. Much of this, of course, can be attributed to the operation of LMH and its environs by administrator Gene Meyer.

But Meyer is the first to declare he is only one element in bringing Lawrence Memorial Hospital to its current level of eminence in the field of health care. Hundreds of outstanding citizen contributions helped bring it all about and will be needed to sustain LMH the way Lawrence wants it to be.

The key: Persistence by good people who recognized the need for a hospital of this type and quality and who were willing to work, dream and produce. Certainly they have provided guidelines to keep and even enhance the quality of health care through Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Things have come a long way from leaner times but it will take similar leadership and commitment to meet all the challenges any good hospital still must conquer.