BANDON — The Southern Coos Hospital & Health Center board of directors has allocated up to $300,000 from reserve funds to try to hire a new doctor for Bandon.

The move comes after the hospital learned that one and maybe two doctors in private practice are leaving. Hospital CEO Jim Wathen said he called a special meeting last month to address the need to recruit another physician. The public and the press were not notified of the meeting.

With all six board members in attendance, Wathen outlined what some people are saying is a potential crisis facing Bandon residents and the hospital, with the likelihood of two doctors presently serving the community leaving.

Dr. James Springer, who treats patients in North Bend Medical Center’s satellite clinic, has given notice that he intends to close his practice at the end of this year. 

Springer was unavailable for comment. However, the medical center’s CEO Pete Johnson confirmed that Springer will be leaving.

NBMC will make sure Springer’s patients are taken care of, either with the practitioners already at the Bandon clinic, or by sending a health care provider to temporarily take Springer’s patient load, Johnson said.

“We have a commitment to Bandon,” Johnson said.

Wathen also said he was expecting Dr. Gail McClave to notify patients this month that she intends to shut down her private practice by year’s end.

McClave, however, has not confirmed that.

“I have not made up my mind,” she said. “Nothing has been decided.”

Wathen said he has not yet received formal written notice of McClave’s departure, but he recommended the board move on the physician search because she gave him verbal notice.

It’s a dilemma for the hospital, because while helping hire private practice physicians costs money, those practitioners affect Southern Coos’ bottom line.

Wathen said for the hospital to recoup its money, the doctor must stay four to six years. After the doctor’s first year of practice, Southern Coos can expect to take in approximately $1 million from patient referrals.

Wathen said that McClave has a relatively moderate patient load, seeing between 15 and 17 patients per day. Springer sees about twice that number. Both doctors refer patients to Southern Coos for medical care, but patients are also sent to facilities and specialists in Coos Bay.

Board member Dr. Greg Aitchison, who practices medicine in Bandon, has suggested that the board consider recruiting another physician for the hospital, rather than private practice. He said that private or solo practice is less viable, particularly with rising fuel costs, lack of benefits and having to employ extra staff to process the paperwork. Insurance companies make it difficult for doctors to collect their full fees, Aitchison said.

Wathen said Southern Coos doesn’t have the money to do that. The hospital’s new in-house physician, Dr. Sandra Wilson, only cares for unassigned patients — those without a regular doctor or insurance coverage.

Board Chairman David Allen questioned whether the hospital should spend money on recruiting a new doctor at all, since, according to Wathen, McClave indicated it is not worth trying to sell her practice.

But even if the hospital is successful in recruiting a new physician, its struggles aren’t over. It has to keep them in the community once they get there.

“We need to bring people into the community who will be satisfied with how it fits with their lives,” Wathen said.

A practitioner’s spouse may want to find employment. Students will need schools with extracurricular activities. The entire family will want access to services comparable to what they had in another community.

And there’s competition here, too. Some board members fear the hospital is in a race with NBMC to hire a new doctor.

“We need somebody (new) at NBMC and in private practice,” board member Vicki Gernandt countered.

Wathen said he hoped he could sign a contract with professional recruiters and begin looking for a physician within 60 days. The $300,000 comes from money set aside from the sale of former Ocean View Care Center land.

Aitchison recommended recouping this money over a two-year period, guaranteeing the physician a salary but also making up the difference from practice proceeds.

Wathen said he would set up a model contract for members to review at the Sept. 25 board meeting and make comments prior to interviewing any candidates.