Published: October 04, 2006 12:35 am      

JARMC suspends operations at Women’s Breast Care Clinic

Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center has temporarily suspended mammography services at its Women’s Breast Care Clinic.

The decision comes after an annual inspection by the Food & Drug Administration in mid-summer. Since then, hospital officials said Tuesday, they have learned that inspectors noted some compliance issues.

While a full report from the FDA is expected in the next couple of weeks, CEO Mark McPhail said he doesn’t have a lot of information or answers right now.

The question for hospital administrators was: What do we do in the meantime?

The answer was three-fold: Voluntarily suspend operations at the Women’s Breast Care Clinic beginning on Monday, tell the community what you know, and correct the problems as soon as possible.

Some corrective steps have been taken based on preliminary information; others will come when the FDA report arrives with specifics.

McPhail said he is aware that his inability to answer questions, or identify what the compliance issues are at this time, invites speculation — but said he felt strongly about making a public statement.

“Dr. Jeff Anderson purchased this hospital 78 years ago because he wanted a good place to practice,” McPhail said. “We’re in the fourth or fifth generation of Andersons and those days are still here. We want to be proactive and let the community know that we’re in this process.”

Marketing Director Ann Weddington agreed: “We didn’t feel like it was right to continue operations until we know more. We can’t alleviate every concern right now because we don’t have all the answers. But we do know that our patients are our top priority.”

The plan went into action Sunday night as JARMC staffers started making phone calls to physicians and patients with Monday appointments. Patients were told the clinic would not be open; appointments are being rescheduled at other clinics.

“We’re grateful for the reception we’ve received from our patients and our physicians and their staffs,” McPhail said. “And we appreciate the other certified mammography centers in Meridian and the surrounding area that have stretched their schedules to accommodate our patients.”

Weddington said she’s not sure how far into the future appointments will be rescheduled, because there is no firm date to re-open the clinic.

“We’re trying to speed the process up as much as possible, and we’re committed to providing whatever resources are necessary to alleviate any issues,” McPhail said.

The Women’s Breast Care Clinic opened in 1985 and averages 4,500 mammograms a year. Larry Schwan is the administrative director of radiology.

If you have questions, or need more information, call the clinic at (601) 553-6250.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Mark McPhail, CEO of Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center, said he will release specific information about

compliance issues at the Women’s Breast Care Clinic after the hospital receives a full report from the Food & Drug

Administration.