November 2008

KEEP YOUR HOSPITAL AMERICUS

By John Marshall, MD

There will be a public hearing on December 22, 2008 at Sumter Bank and Trust 5:30 PM on Lamar Street.  The citizens of Americus will be given an opportunity to oppose the take over of our only hospital by the Phoebe Putney Hospital in Albany, GA.  As a practicing physician for 22 years in Americus, I know a little something about hospitals. You never give away control of your own and expect others from the outside to treat your hospital like their own.  The plan to lease Sumter Regional Hospital for 40 years may sound good to some of our citizens but I want to warn Sumter County that it will be a great loss for this community.  A good example is the take over of the Worth County Hospital in Sylvester, GA, by Phoebe in which their new hospital is only used as an emergency room.

 The Albany Herald reported last week that the new Phoebe Sumter Hospital will be moved from the current SRH site to the Lee /Sumter County line down Lee Street pass the Magnolia Manor Nursing Home.  We are told the relocation of the hospital makes it easier for Albany doctors to get to Sumter County.  Conceivably this too could make emergency transfers easier and less emphasis on providing full services in Sumter County (Obstetrics, Cardiology, ICU, Pediatrics, etc).

 It is sad that our county is losing the hospital  because of an inept and corrupt  administration.   SRH has four entities (Sumter County Hospital Authority, Sumter Regional Hospital Management Board, Sumter Regional Hospital Holding Company and The Sumter Regional Foundation) all of which were derelict in their  monitoring of the hospital's operations. These four oversight entities allowed  the past and present SRH' CEOs  to spend millions of unaccountable dollars on consultants because neither CEO was  qualified to run the hospital.  Their lack of managerial and administrative skills resulted in  waste, fraud, and abuse.  The citizens of this county  need to ask David Seagraves, the present CEO of SRH, to step down and let someone who knows what he is doing run the hospital so that we can have our own.

 It was pure negligence by the leaders of the hospital to not choose an administrator who knew how to run a hospital. We have reported in the Americusumter Observer numerous articles crying out for the hospital leaders to remove Seagraves and bring in someone who knows what he or she is doing.  Now we are giving our hospital away to outsiders who may not have our local interest at heart.  This could be a great business move for the growth of Phoebe Putney Hospital, but a bad economic move for Sumter Regional Hospital and its citizens.  Remember the old saying, "God bless the child who has his own." 

 We urge our citizens to show up on December 22, 2008, and voice opposition to the  give away of our hospital.  And we urge citizens to demand the removal of the  inept CEO David Seagraves, and the irresponsible members on four governing hospital boards.   They must be replaced by efficient leadership, a leadership that not only cares about the good of the hospital but also its patients.

 On December 22nd , at 5:30 PM at Sumter Bank and Trust, citizens are expected to learn more about   1) what happened to the insurance coverage on the hospital and why wasn't it adequate to replace the hospital 2)  the FEMA money 3) the payment of the Bond that was still owed when the tornado destroyed the hospital 4) the total amount of public  money given to the hospital after the tornado 5) the feasibility of building a smaller hospital that is within the $110 million dollars on hand and 6) the possible three years of salary CEO Seagraves and his vice presidents will receive should SRH leave Sumter County. The six concerns are very important issues that need discussing and answers given.   We need to voice our opinions at this meeting.  Should we not do so, the opportunity won't come again until  40 years later when Phoebe Putney's lease expires.