In response to a comment on poor patient care at Piedmont Newnan Hospital: I have volunteered for three years on the medical-surgical floor and am quite familiar with the staff and the environment.

Unfortunately, we all have bad days -- even nurses. And for all we know, the nurse may have dealt with an unruly patient or family member or perhaps an extreme medical alert at the time the writer was referring.

Some hospital personnel have offices with doors that close and are able to be alone with their thoughts for a time. Nurses are visible 12 hours a day, except for lunch, so consequently may seem to be preoccupied or indifferent when actually they may have five or six patients on their mind.

Additionally, I have never seen a lazy nurse. If you could see the area they are expected to cover, you would probably agree with me.

I hope the writer expressed the concerns to the nursing supervisor so the incident could be addressed through proper channels. I know the nurses to be friendly, capable and caring. Volunteering for a seven-hour period, I know what their days are like.

Hospital stays are never pleasant so I hope your next visit to Piedmont Newnan will not have to be as a patient. If it is, remember, the nurses do care and are there to serve you.

Barbara Tumperi

Newnan