God's Hotel by Victoria Sweet

In the late 1980's Dr. Victoria Sweet took a temporary position at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco.  She stayed for 20 years.  This book is the story of her time at the hospital and it's unusual care.  Based on the medieval idea of the Hotel-Dieu where doctors practiced "slow medicine" and patients experienced extended stays and personalized care, it essentially served as an almshouse for many of San Francisco's poorest citizens who were housed in its 36 bed wards.   It is also a story of Sweet's research into Hildegard von Bingen who practiced medicine as a nun in the 1100's  as well as Sweet's own personal journey as a physician.  There is also a lot to think about regarding the current state of health care as she describes the changes at Laguna Honda through the stories of individuals that worked there and the patients they cared for.  In fact, for me, it was  about too many things - thought provoking but missing a focus.  It did however make me very interested in learning more about Hildegard.