By Emily Ford
eford@salisburypost.com
Charlotte-based Southeast Pain Care will take over Rowan Regional Medical Centerís pain clinic at 108 Dorsett Drive starting March 30.
Rowan Regional has sent a letter to pain clinic patients, notifying them the hospital will no longer run the clinic and Dr. Gary Shannon will close his private practice.
Shannon, a longtime Salisbury physician, and Southeast Pain Care have worked separately at the clinic since 2007. Both are independent of the hospital.
The restructuring will maintain the same quality of pain management services while simplifying the service and providing a more affordable option to patients, said Jean Young, director for Rowan Regional, in a letter to patients.
Southeast decided to take over the clinic to insure continuity of care for patients there, marketing manager Kristen Bostedo-Conway said.
ěThat was the main driving force behind the decision to remain at the location,î she said.
Southeast will have three to four physicians in Salisbury, including some of the same doctors who work at the clinic now.
ěWe are considering it business as usual,î Bostedo-Conway said.
She said Southeast welcomes Shannonís patients and has the capacity to bring them into the practice.
Rowan Regional will terminate its agreement with Shannon, 64, at the end of the month. Shannon said as a result, he will close his private practice.
ěWe are committed to assisting you in finding a new pain management doctor,î Young said in the letter.
She encouraged Shannonís patients to ask him for a referral or transfer their medical records to the physicians of Southeast Pain Care. The letter included a medical release form.
Upon request, the hospital also will transfer medical records free of charge for any patient who wants to transfer care to a doctor outside of Southeast Pain Care, Young said.
Shannon, who said the hospitalís Feb. 25 letter didnít give his hundreds of patients enough time to find a new doctor, began notifying them in January that he would close his practice.
Many of Shannonís patients continue to express dismay over losing their doctor.
Cherri Barringer, 52, of Richfield, said she was bed-ridden for two years and used a walker for two years after a spine injury. Shannon has her walking and climbing stairs without pain, she said.
ěIíve been dealing with my back for 10 years, but mentally, this has been the worst for me, the uncertainty,î Barringer said.
She said she would not trust another physician to give her monthly injections as Shannon did, which she said have been the key to her mobility. She will rely on medication only, Barringer said.
ěThatís no way to live,î she said.
No action is required of current patients at Southeast Pain Care, Young said.
Contact reporter Emily Ford at 704-797-4264.