University of Michigan Regent Paul Brown joined community members in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., for a second protest Sept. 21 over MyMichigan Health’s firing of two primary care providers, Up North Live reported.
Protesters gathered outside MyMichigan Medical Center Sault, calling for the reinstatement of Thilak Chander, MD, and physician assistant Danielle Russo. Midland, Mich.-based MyMichigan Health terminated Dr. Chander without a stated reason in early September; Ms. Russo, who worked alongside him, left the health system soon after.
Dr. Chander had practiced internal medicine in the rural Upper Peninsula community for three decades, according to WCMU. More than 50 medical professionals signed a letter calling his termination “shocking and deeply disappointing,” and Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Don Gerrie has voiced support for his reinstatement.
Mr. Brown, a regent of the Ann Arbor-based university, said the firings raise questions about the University of Michigan’s oversight of MyMichigan Health, which is affiliated with the University of Michigan Health System and permitted to use the university’s “Block M” logo.
“It’s time like this where I think that’s an issue, and I think the University of Michigan has to rethink these agreements that we have to give us a little more control to make sure the hospitals that display the block ‘M’ also are consistent with our morals and our values,” Mr. Brown said.
In a statement shared with Becker’s, MyMichigan Health said that while it could not comment on confidential employment matters, it “[takes] seriously the questions being raised about continuity of care and access to care in Sault Ste. Marie and the Eastern Upper Peninsula.
“Our immediate priority is supporting affected patients,” the statement reads. “MyMichigan’s primary care teams are continuing to connect patients with available providers, as well as manage prescription requests, test results, follow-up care and other clinical needs during this transition. We remain committed to listening to the community and supporting high-quality care close to home. We know trust depends on what we do as well as what we say. We are committed to demonstrating that through our actions in the weeks and months ahead.”
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