DEAR SUN SPOTS: Do you have a logical reason why Central Maine Medical Center and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center have a new rule for sick people and their doctors? If you go to a St. Mary’s doctor and you have a heart problem, then why can’t you go to CMMC and have your doctor see you at that hospital?

There are enough sick people to go around for both places. They both charge an arm and a leg, so what is the big huff about? Politics and money, and one place to outdo the other. — Jean Raymond, Auburn

ANSWER: Sun Spots emailed with Becky Schnur, director of communications for the Maine Hospital Association. She offered the following:

“The system of having hospital privileges has been around a long time. By law, every hospital has to credential and privilege every physician on its medical staff. So that’s why not every physician can admit patients to every hospital — because the hospital hasn’t done the credentialing.

“The requirement to credential and privilege every physician on a hospital’s medical staff is part of the Medicare Conditions of Participation (federal regulation).

“That said, some doctors do admit to more than one hospital. But it is not practical or common because then the physician has to travel to both hospitals to see all of his or her hospitalized patients. It is more efficient to keep all your patients in one place.

“Besides, you can only be in one building at a time if there is an emergency. And you may be obligated to be part of the on-call system for every hospital where you’re on the medical staff.

“From the hospital perspective, there are logistical and practical reasons not to have too many doctors with admitting privileges. There are only so many operating rooms, for example.”

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I see in today’s (May 16) Sun Spots that someone is still looking for Dr. Donahue’s food guide portions. Here they are:

For fruits, a serving is the equivalent of a medium-size apple, banana or orange; a half cup of chopped canned foods or three-fourths of a cup of fruit juice.

For vegetables, one cup of leafy greens is a serving, as is a half cup of cooked vegetables or a cup of vegetable juice.

Thanks to my Sun Journal carrier and Sun Spots for a great, informative newspaper. — No Name, West Paris

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I just got to the bottom of my stack of newspapers and found that on April 2 Joanne Brown was looking for a grapefruit knife. I can order to sell a Rada knife (either an aluminum handle or a black handle for the dishwasher) for $4.50. I’ve been notified that a lot of the Rada knives will be having a price rise Aug. 1, which means my last order at current prices needs to be mailed by July 15.

Rada is a popular company, and since 1948 many churches and other organizations have sold their items for fundraising. — Vivian Kennedy, Farmington, 778-2205

DEAR SUN SPOTS: The Lewiston Elks Lodge is having its annual pig roast on June 11 from 4 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person. DJ Grady will be there providing some great music for dancing. We will also be holding our second annual washer tournament.

The Elks Lodge is located at 1675 Lisbon St. Lewiston. If you have any questions, please contact the lodge at 784-4801.

Thank you for including this event in Sun Spots. — Karen via email

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