Published: June 22, 2007 10:26 pm      

Trinity Clinic admits changes coming

Advertisement says ‘transition’ involves some doctors leaving

As recently as three days ago, Trinity Mother Frances Hospital Systems in Tyler, operators of Trinity Clinic in Corsicana, denied that any changes in staffing or services were taking place at the Corsicana facility.

“I’m not aware of any changes taking place,” media spokesman John Moore re-iterated to the Daily Sun Wednesday, June 20, a statement he’s repeated during numerous interviews over the last several weeks.

An advertisement appearing in today’s Daily Sun seems to indicate the opposite, as rumored in the community for sometime.

Numerous calls to the Daily Sun newsroom have brought stories of physicians telling patients that the clinic was going to reduce the number of physicians at the Corsicana clinic, and of “pink slips being handed out” to clinic doctors and staff.

The ad appearing in today’s edition, titled “A letter to the Corsicana Community,” says Trinity Clinic is “undergoing transitions” that include physicians leaving the clinic, again in direct conflict with statements made by Trinity this week.

Dr. Kent Rogers, a longtime local physician who will remain affiliated with Trinity Mother Frances, was quoted in the advertisement as saying, “We are working to help ensure this transition is smooth, and that patient care continues uninterrupted.”

In a conversation with the Daily Sun, Rogers confirmed a number of physicians, “more than 50 percent,” will no longer be affiliated with Trinity Clinic, but he said most of them will remain in practice in the area continuing to see and care for patients. He said some may still practice on the clinic property in leased space.

“That was what I was most concerned about, that we’d be able to keep these doctors in the area,” said Rogers.

The advertisement also acknowledges Trinity’s recent announcement it would not build a promised new hospital and clinic facility in Corsicana, calling it a “difficult decision.”

Fred Woody, administrator of Navarro Regional Hospital, told the Daily Sun June 15 the hospital was in talks with six current Trinity Clinic physicians about moving their practices from Trinity Clinic to Navarro Regional.

“We recently have been talking with two other doctors from Trinity (about joining the hospital) and just within the last 10 days, four more physicians from Trinity have approached us,” Woody said in the June 15 article. He declined to identify those physicians as talks are still underway with them.

In 2006, three other Trinity Clinic physicians left the clinic to join the hospital. Dr. Matthew Branch, Dr. Oswald Binford and Dr. Ronald Rodriquez are all former Trinity Clinic physicians now affiliated with Navarro Regional.

Attempts to reach a spokesman for Trinity Mother Frances Friday for further comment were unsuccessful. The only media representative available said he was not able to provide any comment on the matter, and would have (media spokesman) John Moore call Monday.

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Bob Belcher may be reached via e-mail at belcher@corsicanadailysun.com.