To the editor: As an avid Dalles Chronicle reader, I was disappointed to learn about the growing rift between Mid-Columbia Medical Center’s CEO and local nurses over increasingly dangerous schedules, nurse turnover, staff pay and the hospital’s budget. It reminded me of an article I read a few years ago about the highest-paid people in Wasco County.

To the editor: It pains me (no pun intended) that in the USA, the first thing you think of when you get hurt or need to go to the hospital is....can I afford it, how much will it cost or maybe I'll just put it off because I can't afford the hospital. What a shame in this big, rich, powerful country of ours the leading cause of bankruptcy is hospital bills.