Tracy Scott, a full-time employee at Shands at AGH, sat in the back pew Monday night at the PASSAGE Family Church with her 5-year-old daughter, Taylor.
Scott was one of about 100 people scattered throughout the church's pews to hear others speak about the hospital's closing, which is scheduled for November 2009.
The meeting, sponsored by the African American Accountability Alliance and the ACTION Network, gave locals an opportunity to offer their personal testimonies to Shands officials.
No concrete information was offered about the hospital's future, but many people expressed emotional attachment and said they would be impacted by its closing.
"It struck home for me because I got my training at AGH," said Shirley Green, a registered nurse. "It's a family setting, and that's what we're going to miss."
County Commissioner Rodney Long said officials should have been made aware of the situation prior to the announcement the hospital was closing.
Long said he has been unable to answer questions about what will become of the hospital - and that's a problem.
"This is an extremely important issue," he said.
Others wanted to know how hospital leaders planned to make the transition a smooth one for patients.
Former Gainesville Mayor Jean Chalmers criticized the lack of other health care options.
"I think it's terrible there hasn't been a plan for health care for this part of town when the closing was announced," said Chalmers, whose statements were punctuated with crowd applause.
Others voiced concerns about what will happen to the employees and doctors left without jobs, whose futures are uncertain.
"Many people are trying to find out where they stand," said Ed Jennings Jr., of the Accountability Alliance.
The hospital's closing will affect the families of all its employees, Jennings said.
In the meantime, future meetings between community organizations and hospital leaders will be planned, said Shands HealthCare CEO Timothy Goldfarb.
Goldfarb said he was impressed by the emotional words of those who spoke.
"It emphasized the impact of the hospital in the community," he said.
