"Sanitarium" (noun): "1. an establishment that provides therapy combined with a regimen (as in diet or exercise) for treatment or rehabilitation. 2. a) an institution for rest and recuperation (as of convalescents); b) an establishment for the treatment of the chronically ill." [source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary web site].
This sounds harmless enough, doesn't it? Though the name "sanitarium" sounds a bit archaic and institutional at best, the definition makes it seem more warm and purposeful. The problem is too many people don't bother looking for the definition. Allow me to explain.
Earlier this month, on October 7, 2010 to be exact, I casually browsed through a small, local, newspaper called The Tri County Record. It circulates in the general area of Northeast Lancaster, Southeast Berks, and Northwest Chester Counties, Pennsylvania. I happened to find a copy of it in our break room at work. I was drawn to the headline that read "No Sanitarium In West Nantmeal". In a nutshell the story unfolds this way. A well-intentioned couple, The Gillens, purchased a 10-acre wooded lot near Morgantown, PA, with the intent of building in their words "a hospice or a transitional facility for people to recover from major surgery or cancer in a nice tranquil area". Unfortunately for the Gillens the official wording to be used on the proposal was not a hospice or transitional facility, but the word "sanitarium" as required by the State. Therein lies the problem.
The land was zoned R2 (Rural residential) and at the time they filed their plans on August 9 a "sanitarium" could be built within certain criteria. Several neighbors in the immediate vicinity had other plans, however. They read the proposal and saw the word "sanitarium". Immediately it was concluded that it would be either a mental hospital or a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Without delay one neighbor who shared a property line with the Gillens began a campaign to block the plans. Going door-to-door and posting flyers Peter Rio garnered a petition with 157 signatures and rallied approximately 90 citizens to attend the West Nantmeal Zoning Hearing Board for a special continuance hearing for the proposed project.
The opposition intimidated the Gillens enough that they reluctantly withdrew their petition just prior to the start of the meeting.
How sad.
The Gillens are adamant that they never intended to use the facility as a mental hospital or drug and alcohol rehab center. Yet no one gave them a chance to voice that publicly. They did go before the township authorities twice before to explain their proposal and thought they were understood. But the masses need not worry themselves with details. They only need a cause; a thought or a perceived threat. And they found one in the Gillens.
My interest in this story is rooted in the terrible prejudice that exists in the hearts of people who fear those who are not like them. Here was a group of citizens who never bothered to talk with the land owners regarding their plans. They heard or saw a word that they did not fully know or understand and rather than seek the details they made a conclusion and created a threat that did not exist.
That is in itself a sad commentary on our culture. What is even more tragic is the thought that the mentally ill or the recovering addict is unwelcome and unwanted near us. Perhaps they would prefer to keep the dependant soul addicted to their drug of choice without any hope of recovery. Perhaps the mentally ill should just be euthanized here in the good old US of A the way they are in certain dictatorial regimes. Then we don't have to be threatened by them. We don't have to support them. We don't have to be reminded that WE could be just like them if certain events in our life were to occur as it has in their lives!
Prejudice is a horrible affliction. Generally we think of it in terms of racial relations. Indeed, such is a serious blemish upon us. But it also inflicts the young with a dislike for the elderly, and the unchallenged with a fear of the challenged. Prejudice can infiltrate anyone with a hatred or distrust of people who are different from them in any way. It could be in terms of appearance, language, mental or physical capacity, economic status, age, gender, sexual orientation and more.
It breaks my heart to realize that large groups of people can so easily be drawn to a campaign to keep the unwanted out of our lives without ever confirming the facts. I pray that Mr. Rio nor his like-minded friends should ever see the day come when someone they love should be diagnosed with cancer or be injured in a car accident that would render them crippled or terminally ill. For if that should happen I imagine they may regret not having a quality facility just down the road where their loved one could be cared for 24/7 and they would have the privalege of visiting virtually as easily as if they were in their own home. As a result of their own actions that will not be a possibility. But remember: if a loved one does end up in such a facility they will be somebody's neighbor; somewhere. Be thankful for that.
gdg 10/31/2010
Look for an upcoming post to deal with specific prejudices within the Church.
How very sad for everyone involved! The well-meaning samaritans who wished to provide a much-needed service, as well as the neighbors who, in their ignorance, prevented that from happening. Reminds me of the time not so long ago when they wanted to create a Teen Challenge center nearby and the idea was shot to pieces by the NIMBY (not-in-my-back-yard) locals. Ignorance is so disappointing.
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