Don't know the details in this case but, you're right, we shouldn't be quick to make assumptions about swimming ability or even life jackets.

Cold water kills, sometimes even if the victim knew how to swim.

https://www.coldwatersafety.org/

I stayed in healthcare. I have my own practice but don't deal with insurance companies anymore (except to beg for prior authorizations). That doesn't eliminate all the stressors but it makes everything simpler and more efficient.

The alternative was to work for hospitals and retire early but I'm not ready to retire yet.

https://www.sterlingtownpublichouse.com/

They also have a nice coffee shop with baked goods across the common next to the market.

https://www.thepourfarm.com/ Nice little brewery with various events, check the website schedule.

AFAIK, no public hiking trails in Union but nice hikes just down Rt.17 in Hope and West Rockport-

https://www.coastalmountains.org/get-outside

https://www.georgesriver.org/preserves-trails/trails/

The old dam site is interesting to check out but only 1/4 mile of hiking- https://www.georgesriver.org/pool-preserve/

Come back in the summer when you can play on the various ponds and the river.

Then if we need more beds, the government could pay for keeping beds available. Of course, "beds" need nurses and CNAs which are in short supply and expensive to maintain compared to a wing of empty beds.

Why do you expect hospitals to do this without getting paid?

Much, if not most, of the money in pediatric healthcare is from the government, Medicaid (Mainecare). The hospitals and clinics are very responsive to whatever their source of money wants.

The problems in healthcare are a lot more complicated than your post would suggest.

I believe this was the original source:

https://tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations

No thanks. We've combined catastrophic insurance with routine prepaid healthcare in the US for the last 70 years here. Look how well that's turned out.