Contact: Maridith Geuder
Due to a temporary reduction in the number of its physicians, the John C. Longest Student Health Center at Mississippi State is announcing a short-term change in available services.
Dr. Robert K. Collins, center director, said one of the five university staff physicians, Dr. Sheila Crowley, will be on temporary leave beginning Sept. 1. Another, Dr. Mike McIntyre, is departing to join a practice in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
"We are making every effort to accommodate patients who normally would see Dr. McIntyre or Dr. Crowley and now are seeking another full-time physician," Collins said. While a search process is under way to replace McIntyre and while Crowley is on leave, the health center will suspend the scheduling of routine physical examinations, he added.
"We're making this change in order to provide the acute-care services we anticipate our patients will need," Collins explained.
Until the physician staff returns to full status, he emphasized that:
--Persons with acute illnesses should continue to schedule office appointments for treatment, and
--Other center physicians and medical staff will continue as usual to monitor routine medications and perform routine follow-up care.
"We want our patients to know that we are making temporary adjustments so that we may continue to provide the level of care they have come to expect," Collins said. "We appreciate their understanding during the transition."
For information on Longest Student Health Center appointments, telephone (662) 325-7539.