Public comes out in force for community forum about doctor resignations at Bath Community Hospital

There was a community forum on Tuesday night to hear public comment about recent doctor resignations at Bath Community Hospital.  Hospital administration did not renew the contract of Dr. James Redington, who has worked at the hospital for twenty six years.  Four other doctors have resigned in support of Dr. Redington.

There were about four hundred in attendance Tuesday night and more than fifty people spoke.

“Good evening my name is Christy Riley and I just want to say that I’m a proud staff member of Bath Community Hospital.  In 2012 I was diagnosed with cancer.  One of the first people that I went to was Dr. Redington.  I love, love, love Dr. Redington.  Dr. McCray is now my doctor, love Dr. McCray.  I’ve been very angered about some of the comments made about all the money being spent towards the hospital, the new building.   I just ask that you be respective in what you say about our hospital, about our employees, about our board of directors, about the doctors that are concerned. We’re all concerned.  That’s a given.  You’re here proving that.”

“My name is John Sweet.  I live at Mustoe in Highland County.  The Bath hospital also serves Highland County.  It is our closest hospital and it is the hospital that my wife and I choose to go to whenever we possibly can.  We are very much favorably impressed by the hospital here.  I want to contribute to the building fund for the hospital.  I would very much like to have this particular problem resolved before I make a contribution to the building fund.  So I hope it can be resolved promptly.”

“Hi my name is Jamie and I wanted to be one voice that came in and said I appreciate that we have a board that’s all volunteer.  And I want to thank the board because they’re members of the community.  This is their hospital.  This is where they need to get care and I think they care a lot about this and I think that they obviously had to make a really tough decision.”

“I am David Robbins.  I’m not from here, I’m from Richmond, but I was Jim’s college roommate.  Jim’s my doctor.  I drive up from Richmond, because he’s my doctor.  I’ve known Jim since he was eighteen years old and I’ve got to tell you I’ve known him consistently without break.  I know Jim Redington.  Jim Redington is like a brother to me.  And any man who walks up to me and tells me he questions Jim Redington’s judgment , I call that man, I question his judgment.  Any man that walks up to me and tells me he questions Jim Redington’s veracity, I question that man’s veracity.  You don’t know, I don’t know, a single individual more wise, more conservative, more considered in his actions.  His generosity is obvious, you’ve all benefitted from his generosity.  His wisdom, his knowledge of medicine is obvious.  You’ve all benefitted from that.  But his character is unquestionable and that’s what’s been questioned here.”

“Good evening, my name is Mary Adderton.  I tell you what that has impressed me the most in this terrible situation is the fact that his peers have appreciated what’s he’s done.  Nobody knows Jim Redington as well as the staff that has worked with him over the years.  And I ask that the board please take a look at what his peers think about him and what we have shown tonight, what we think about him, by filling up this building.”

Hospital representatives said they will be responding to questions from Tuesday night’s forum on the hospital’s website www.bathhospital.org

 

Story By

Bonnie Ralston

Bonnie Ralston is the Assistant Station Coordinator at WVLS and a Highland County news reporter. She began volunteering at Allegheny Mountain Radio in the fall of 2005. In 2006 she became an AMR employee and worked in Bath County for eight years as the WCHG Station Coordinator and then as the news reporter there. She began working in radio while in college and has stayed connected to radio, in one way or another, for more than thirty years. She grew up in Staunton, Virginia, while spending a lot of time on her family’s farm in Deerfield, Virginia. She enjoys spending time outside, watching old TV shows and movies and tending to her chickens.

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