Here, too, Louise — my city has some of the best hospitals in the state, including one associated with the medical school at the university. Both the teaching hospital and the for-profit one are growing a breakneck speed. The for-profit, where my husband was after his mini-stroke, is landlocked, forcing them to consume greenspaces with buildings and to construct higher and higher, adding floors to existing buildings.

Unfortunately, they are not building more parking garages to keep up with the additional hospital construction. I took my husband to the ER where there is 10-minute drop-off parking — 10 minutes! As a team of 11 medical personnel surrounded him, asking us both a multitude of questions, I had to leave to move my car because the towing company was out front and I’d been there for 15 minutes! Then, I spent 30 minutes circling and circling to find parking, all while not knowing what was happening with my husband. On a return visit the next day, it took 40 minutes to find a parking spot and valet parking wasn’t an option because their allotted spaces were full!

The teaching hospital even moved into the vacated Sears space at our mall and opened an outpatient clinic. There is talk that the for-profit is considering the same in another empty mall space.

Fortunately, my husband only had to stay 2 days and that was mostly for tests.