In Tony Hoagland’s poem, the hospital represents a sense of hope because —

Firstly, it is the only place where people can express their sorrows and bad feelings without any shame.

And secondly, the loneliness and the constant waiting of the patients force them into self-intimacy: introspection and self-reflection. For instance, the poet likes how the lonely patients talk with themselves or contemplate on their good and bad actions of the past. So, that brings them the realisation about their wrongdoings of the past and when cured and back to home, those people become more empathetic and cooperative to others.