(May 11, 2017) Following repeated requests to assign a primary care physician to Snow Hill, last month Mayor Charlie Dorman received a letter from the Peninsula Regional Medical Center confirming the arrival of Dr. Pooja Srikanth this July.
Dorman said the town’s pursuit of a new physician traces back roughly two years.
“When Dr. [Clyde] Gibb retired, who was from PMRC, there was no replacement,” he said. “Atlantic General [had] pulled everything … they said there wasn’t enough patients and they couldn’t make any money, so they left us.”
Dr. Thomas DeMarco, Peninsula Regional Medical Group vice president, said since Gibb retired Michael Crum, a certified registered nurse practitioner, had been providing service at the Peninsula Regional Family Medicine office in Snow Hill.
“He retired and the reason we didn’t replace him is because, frankly, we didn’t have a doctor to replace him with,” he said.
DeMarco also noted Maryland law permits nurse practitioners to act independently of attending physicians.
“After a year or two of regular supervised practice they can go into practice independently,” he said. “They don’t even need a collaborating physician.”
After Gibb stepped down from his position, Dorman said the town began a letter-writing campaign seeking a replacement physician.
“We wrote letters to Atlantic and we wrote letters to PMRC saying we’re the county seat and we’d like to have a doctor,” he said. “We’ve been constantly writing letters.”
DeMarco said Srikanth, who is in the midst of completing her residency at the University of Maryland Midtown Campus in Baltimore, has a preexisting connection to the region. Her husband, Dr. Channaiah Srikanth Mysore, is a neurologist at PMRC.
“It’s less likely that people like this come and go,” he said. “Usually if they’re going to come down here as husband and wife they’re really looking to stay. They know the community and they’re willing to make an investment to stay here.”
There are other considerations, notwithstanding financial concerns, driving the decision to commit resources to Snow Hill, DeMarco said.
“We’re certainly interested in the having the numbers work for us, but we also feel an obligation to the community,” he said. “It’s not that were financially irresponsible, but it’s basically setting our priorities of what we might need to subsidize and what we might not.”
Dorman said numerous elderly residents have transportation challenges that make it problematic to visit medical professionals outside Snow Hill.
“It would be nice because a lot of people don’t have a car and they can’t get to and from these places,” he said.
Concurring with that perspective was DeMarco, who shared a frightening statistic.
“One of the biggest reasons people don’t complete chemotherapy is lack of transportation,” he said. “As part of our patient-centered philosophy we’re trying to bring services to patients rather than making the patients come to us.”
Dorman said while he appreciates that financial factors are part of the decision-making process, there are other intangibles to be considered.
“You don’t have to make a profit,” he said. “You’ve got a town that needs help.”
From DeMarco’s viewpoint it boils down to PMRC remaining responsive to the residents of Snow Hill.
“I think there is a commitment made to the community down there by PMRC and we like to keep our commitments,” he said.
Dorman said he was pleased with the big-picture perspective championed by PMRC.
“They took into consideration that it’s about the people rather than about dollars and cents,” he said.
Dorman said the town’s pursuit of a new physician traces back roughly two years.
“When Dr. [Clyde] Gibb retired, who was from PMRC, there was no replacement,” he said. “Atlantic General [had] pulled everything … they said there wasn’t enough patients and they couldn’t make any money, so they left us.”
Dr. Thomas DeMarco, Peninsula Regional Medical Group vice president, said since Gibb retired Michael Crum, a certified registered nurse practitioner, had been providing service at the Peninsula Regional Family Medicine office in Snow Hill.
“He retired and the reason we didn’t replace him is because, frankly, we didn’t have a doctor to replace him with,” he said.
DeMarco also noted Maryland law permits nurse practitioners to act independently of attending physicians.
“After a year or two of regular supervised practice they can go into practice independently,” he said. “They don’t even need a collaborating physician.”
After Gibb stepped down from his position, Dorman said the town began a letter-writing campaign seeking a replacement physician.
“We wrote letters to Atlantic and we wrote letters to PMRC saying we’re the county seat and we’d like to have a doctor,” he said. “We’ve been constantly writing letters.”
DeMarco said Srikanth, who is in the midst of completing her residency at the University of Maryland Midtown Campus in Baltimore, has a preexisting connection to the region. Her husband, Dr. Channaiah Srikanth Mysore, is a neurologist at PMRC.
“It’s less likely that people like this come and go,” he said. “Usually if they’re going to come down here as husband and wife they’re really looking to stay. They know the community and they’re willing to make an investment to stay here.”
There are other considerations, notwithstanding financial concerns, driving the decision to commit resources to Snow Hill, DeMarco said.
“We’re certainly interested in the having the numbers work for us, but we also feel an obligation to the community,” he said. “It’s not that were financially irresponsible, but it’s basically setting our priorities of what we might need to subsidize and what we might not.”
Dorman said numerous elderly residents have transportation challenges that make it problematic to visit medical professionals outside Snow Hill.
“It would be nice because a lot of people don’t have a car and they can’t get to and from these places,” he said.
Concurring with that perspective was DeMarco, who shared a frightening statistic.
“One of the biggest reasons people don’t complete chemotherapy is lack of transportation,” he said. “As part of our patient-centered philosophy we’re trying to bring services to patients rather than making the patients come to us.”
Dorman said while he appreciates that financial factors are part of the decision-making process, there are other intangibles to be considered.
“You don’t have to make a profit,” he said. “You’ve got a town that needs help.”
From DeMarco’s viewpoint it boils down to PMRC remaining responsive to the residents of Snow Hill.
“I think there is a commitment made to the community down there by PMRC and we like to keep our commitments,” he said.
Dorman said he was pleased with the big-picture perspective championed by PMRC.
“They took into consideration that it’s about the people rather than about dollars and cents,” he said.