New Phoebe Sumter Makes Poor Choices For Hospital Board Members


October 2009
New Phoebe Sumter Makes Poor Choices For Hospital Board Members
	*Staff Reports* The board of directors at the Phoebe Putney Health System named a governing board for Phoebe Sumter Medical Center to oversee hospital operations after the 40 year lease with Sumter Regional Hospital was recently finalized. Their biannual meeting was held in July 2009. All of this was the result of Sumter Regional Hospital (SRH) being ravaged by a tornado in 2007. Michael Busman, M.D., SRH executive board member and Frederick McLaughlin, a long term Hospital Authority member, were among those selected for the new Phoebe Sumter Board of Directors. The local NAACP leadership disagrees with these two choices because they represent the reason why we don't have our own hospital today. They were in leadership when Sumter Regional failed. Recently, Reverend Michael Coley was asked to remain on the Hospital Authority of Sumter County. Again, Coley served more than 15 years with the old Hospital Authority and sat idle and watched the demise of our only hospital. He failed to address discriminatory and unfair practices by the hospital administrations. Our local NAACP repeatedly exposed the racial problems to McLaughlin and Coley, both African Americans, but they did nothing. We don't ever want to see them again in leadership of a hospital," said the Americus Sumter Observer's (ASO) publisher Dr John D Marshall. The NAACP, under the leadership of Matt Wright and the Observer's publisher, Dr John D Marshall want to see Dr Busman, Rev Coley, and McLaughlin removed. New board members also included Connie Blanchard, Lara Gill; Brad Lafevers, Robbie S. Latimore, Frank Middleton III, Kerry Loudermilk; and Joel Wernick, the latter who was elected temporary chairman. In addition to being the board chair, Joel Wernick is the CEO of Phoebe Putney Health Systems in Albany, GA. The NAACP has lodged a number of complaints against Busman as a school board member, including accusations that he targeted removal of high-ranking and long-time blacks, including Victoria Harris, principal of Staley Middle School, Juanita Wilson, former principal of Americus High School, and Dr Franklin Perry, former Sumter County school superintendent.. He said Busman's racist stance as a member of the old hospital executive board was similar. He was named in two lawsuits filed by Dr John D Marshall in 2001 and another filed by Dr Mila Keh in 2002. Both are minority physicians. Marshall said he has spoken to the Washington, DC lobbyist for Phoebe Putney Health System in an effort to have them remove Busman, but was told "he only has a two year term on the board." Marshall said the NAACP had investigated allegations that blacks at Sumter Regional were often terminated for minor infractions, while whites were rarely fired for much more egregious acts. In an editorial on the issue that can be found on page 2 of this newspaper, Marshall criticized McLaughlin and Coley, two black men, for failing to cooperate with the NAACP in the group's efforts to investigate the issues and stop the unfair practices. Marshall said its difficult to understand why Coley and McLaughlin want to be back in decision making positions of the hospital when they have not helped their fellow Blacks who were discriminated against under the last two hospital administrators. Furthermore, they haven't helped any citizens [Black or White] in Americus because they watched the last administrators abuse their power and the hospital's funds which ultimately led to the loss of our only hospital. Neither Coley, McLaughlin nor Busman could be reached for comment. Wernick could not be reached for comment Tuesday. But in an earlier interview with another news outlet on the new board, he said: "The new board members will be working in the governance of the new hospital, and they will come to know and respect each other's unique contributions over the coming months," said Wernick. "I fully expect that by the first of the year, as the operation has matured and moved forward through the transition, a new chair and vice chair from among the Sumter County members will have been chosen." Marshall adds in his editorial that this community cannot endure another repeat of a failed hospital because it lacks sound, positive, and fair board leadership. "Put simply, Phoebe Sumter should have selected three candidates other than Busman, Coley, and McLaughlin. To not have done so invites questions as to the direction the new hospital is signaling," Marshall said.
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