Save UTMC

Note: this essay was published in the November 25, 2020 edition of the Toledo Blade.

As a member of the local medical community for 30 years I was surprised to learn that many of my colleagues, and in fact even the physicians who have cared for me, were not among the “best and brightest,” apparently only landing in Toledo because they already had ties locally (“Area Health Partnerships Work,” The Blade, Nov. 18).

It wasn’t until Drs. Stephen Stanek and Tahir Jamil, in conjunction with ProMedica, decided to grace us with their talent that medicine in Toledo was able to undergo a badly needed renaissance.

Their self-serving op-ed is not only myopic, it is factually inaccurate. They suggest their view of the local medical landscape is “unique” because they came here for medical school and stayed for residency training. It isn’t.

There have been UTMC graduates doing local residencies and then joining the local medical community for over 50 years.

In fact, the renaissance in local medicine began with the advent of the Medical College of Ohio in 1964, well before ProMedica came on the scene.

The authors view through green-colored glasses needs to be taken with a large grain of salt. Apparently their definition of a “great doctor” is either one who is part of ProMedica or perhaps any physician who refers to them.

My view is a bit broader, having worked in every health system in town; unlike the authors whose experience is limited to one health system.

As a neurosurgeon who came here 30 years ago I was honored to work alongside other neurosurgeons, some of whom were my competitors, from world renowned training programs to include: Yale, Barrow Neurological Institute, University of Indiana, Vanderbilt, State University of New York, and my own training program at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

I feel safe in saying that most of us had no local ties and none of us came to town because of ProMedica.

Believe it or not, some of us were able to recognize for ourselves that Toledo; with its world-class museum, top-notch symphony, and nationally recognized zoo was indeed a well-kept secret.

Toledo was not a “diamond in the rough” but was able to shine on its own merits then just as it does now. Having lived in Washington, Honolulu, and several cities in Europe, I chose Toledo because it offered state-of-the-art medical care then just as it does now.

Dr. Stanek and Dr. Jamil go on to state that the academic affiliation is good for ProMedica and The College of Medicine and Life Sciences, which is the former Medical College of Ohio.

While the statement is probably true, they conveniently leave out the fact that ProMedica’s scorched-Earth policy when it comes to competitors has decimated The UTMC hospital.

The physicians mention attracting the best and brightest physicians to town but leave out the fact ProMedica eliminated two family practice-training programs locally.

Perhaps the author’s definition of best and brightest doesn’t include primary care physicians.

The medical care here was top notch well before ProMedica came on the scene and continues to shine in every system locally. To suggest otherwise is simply wrong on every level.

I understand that friction sometimes exists between “town-and-gown” physicians, but to denigrate the highly competent physicians in every specialty who trained locally in the days before ProMedica is insulting and arrogant.

Lawrence Spetka is a neurosurgeon in Toledo.