Members of the Wrangell Medical Center (WMC) staff and Board of Directors met with Dr. Greg Salard Tuesday for a hearing to review his hospital privileges.
The hearing was the result of a court order from December and comes after a nearly yearlong battle between Salard and the WMC.
Both Salard’s attorney and those of the WMC were also set to be present at the closed-door hearing at the medical center. Salard said the WMC would have the opportunity to “present their case” for revoking his privileges at the medical center, and he would also be able to call witnesses on his own behalf.
Salard told the Sentinel Tuesday’s hearing should have occurred before WMC revoked his rights to practice at the WMC last year.
“This is something that should have happened before they pulled my privileges,” he said.
WMC Administrator Noel Selle-Rea said the hearing would not be open to the public and did not wish to comment further.
Salard and Selle-Rea were not immediately available for additional comment about specifically what took place at Tuesday’s hearing, as it was still occurring at the time of the Sentinel’s deadline.
Salard has been practicing in Wrangell since Feb. 2009. He was contracted to work at WMC through Alaska Community Island Services (AICS).
Physicians employed by AICS are required to maintain privileges at WMC to care for emergency and long-term patients. AICS physicians are initially granted provisional privileges for 24 months and must apply for permanent privileges once that contract expires.
Salard’s contract was set to expire in February 2011. In March, WMC granted temporary privileges to Salard, according to court documents.
In early April of last year Salard wrote a letter to Borough Mayor Jeremy Maxand and Borough Assembly members “that was critical of WMC.” Days later, WMC revoked Salard’s privileges from any maternity and pediatric patients based on complaints from patients and WMC staff, according to court documents.
In May, Salard’s privileges were restored at WMC, according to the documents.
Last November, however, WMC once again revoked Salard’s privileges. As a result, Salard filed a motion in Wrangell District Court alleging WMC wrongly terminated his right to practice at the medical center and asked to immediately be reinstated.
Superior Court Judge Kevin G. Miller ordered on Dec. 12 that WMC place Salard back on its medical staff and proceed with a proper review hearing of Salard’s privileges at the medical center.
The WMC Board of Directors also held a regular meeting last night, after the Sentinel’s deadline.
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