LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Mike Marshall says farewell to Demopolis

Dear Editor,

When I accepted the position of CEO of BWWMH in 2003, I anticipated the short tenure of a troubleshooter who comes in and assesses the strengths and weaknesses of a hospital and makes recommendations to maintain its viability.  Eleven years later, I can tell you that I stayed because I fell in love with Demopolis and its citizens.  I saw the contribution and responsibility of the hospital as the #2 employer in Demopolis.  Your city became my city as we worked together for the betterment of our town and our hospital.

I am extremely proud of the progress we have made at BWWMH over the last decade.  Together we initiated and implemented many progressive new programs to better serve our citizens.   The changes and improvements that we have made have not always been easy, but things worth doing rarely are.   We met our challenges head on and I think our hospital is stronger for it.

I firmly believe that given the current regulatory and payment environment that hospitals are forced to operate under, hospitals the size of BWWMH are at risk of closure without the unanimous support of the board, the medical staff, and most of all the community. A viable hospital is essential to a viable Demopolis and dissention is a lightning rod for failure.  With this in mind I urge you to support the hospital and the hospital staff as you go forward.

While I am excited as I move to join Jo Ann and John Robert in Atlanta, I will be forever grateful for the friendships I have made and the time I have spent in Demopolis.
I thank you for the opportunity to have served as your hospital administrator.

Sincerely,

Mike Marshall