The first goal of Lowell's two hospitals should be to provide excellent cost-effective medical care to patients. Their second goal should be to attract the 47 percent of area residents who still travel to Boston for medical services.

What the hospitals should not do is to carry their rivalry to unhealthy levels. Excessive competition can create a toxic environment that will prompt concern among employees, and possibly cause patients to look elsewhere for care.

Lowell General Hospital and Saints Medical Center are private, nonprofit institutions that must always keep the best interests of the community in mind.

Should there be a healthy competition between the two institutions? Absolutely. After all, both hospitals must make money to survive.

At one time, Lowell had three hospitals. A merger between St. John's Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital resulted in Saints Medical Center. At times, there has been serious talk of a merger between Saints and Lowell General.

Individuals serving on the hospitals'

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boards of directors are some of the biggest supporters of collaboration in the city's history. The hospitals' rivalry must not be allowed to escalate to the point that it could derail some of those relationships.

Perhaps it's time for the Legislature to develop guidelines for community hospitals -- as it did for auto-insurance companies -- that will encourage both healthy competition and increased cooperation.

And let's hope Nashua's Southern New Hampshire Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital don't go down this contentious road.