Friday, December 9, 2022, 4:15 pm News Flash Archive

The beginning of December marked the quiet shutdown of additional services at GLH, and the loss of more doctors.

Dr. Cynthia Willingham, who was the medical director of Leflore Rehabilitation, has parted ways with GLH. The hospital is still offering outpatient rehab services, but the in-patient rehabilitation service has been shut down.

Gone also is the Sleep Center, where patients were diagnosed and treated for obstructive sleep apnea and other sleep disorders.

The Sleep Center was founded in 1995 by Dr. John Hey, a local physician who is board certified in sleep medicine. As its founding Medical Director, Dr. Hey guided it successfully through three national accreditations. (Dr. Hey is this reporter's father.)

But just after successfully obtaining the third accreditation for the sleep disorder center in June 2018, the Hospital fired Dr. Hey as the sleep center's Medical Director.

Later, the hospital hired Dr. Rohit Panchal, who is based out of Georgia, and who would drive over occasionally to oversee the Sleep Clinic.

But now Dr. Panchal has also been let go, and the Sleep Clinic has closed down for good.

Dr. Hey still practices sleep medicine, including overnight sleep apnea testing, at his Medical Arts Clinic here in Greenwood.

Over the past decade, GLH has fired or pushed out several dozen physicians, most often with no announcements or justifications provided.

The rash of firings followed soon after several physicians appeared before the City Council to complain of being completely excluded by the hospital board of trustees from any input into the decisions made by the hospital administration. See our previous reporting here: Doctors protest being "locked out" of hospital decision making

See our extensive reporting of the history of GLH running off physicians here:

Hospital Fires Beloved Long-time Doctor

Hospital Fired Five Doctors in Recent Years

Hemorrhage of Hospital Doctors Continues

Another Doctor Leaving Greenwood Leflore Hospital

Greenwood losing a neurosurgeon

GLH abruptly closes Neurosurgery Clinic

GLH Pain Management Center set to close

More Doctors fired by Greenwood Leflore Hospital

GLH closes Greenwood Primary Care Clinic; beloved family doctor let go

Recently, GLH closed its Greenwood Urology Clinic, pushing out Dr. James S. Robbins III in the process.

Both pulmonologists, Dr. Rachael Faught and Dr. Joseph Pressler Jr., were also let go by GLH at the end of October when GLH shut down its pulmonology clinic and services.

As for OB/GYN services, GLH had already shut down its Labor, Delivery, and Newborn Nursery services in August 2022.

GLH exited all OB/GYN care on October 15, when UMMC began operating the local OB/GYN Clinic.

At that time, Greenwood lost two of its three OB/GYN physicians, Dr. Terry McMillin, and Dr. Kimberly Sanford. Both physicians are now practicing elsewhere in Mississippi.

Greenwood's only remaining OB/GYN physician is Dr. Murry Adams, who practices at the UMMC OB/GYN Clinic in Greenwood and also at Grenada. All deliveries are now being done at the UMMC Grenada hospital.

Early next year, UMMC Grenada will lose its one remaining local OB/GYN physician when Dr. Kimberley J. Farmer is set to leave.

That will leave Dr. Adams as the only practicing OB/GYN physician in both Greenwood and Grenada. UMMC Grenada hires "traveling doctors" to help provide OB/GYN coverage at that hospital as well.

To review our reporting on GLH and its financial woes, please see here: Index of Greenwood Leflore Hospital news articles

John Pittman Hey
The Taxpayers Channel

News Flash Archive