The meeting was arranged by Steve Sliwinski, who had promoted the meeting as "an opportunity to speak about the impact of the closing on the community, the medical staffing and of patient needs.
In addition, anyone can address the audience with stories of the care that they received over Dr. Kirkowski's 40 years of service.
Please invite a friend to attend and help us make this a tribute to a caring and dedicated doctor.
The meeting was arranged by Steve Sliwinski, who had promoted the meeting as "an opportunity to speak about the impact of the closing on the community, the medical staffing and of patient needs.
In addition, anyone can address the audience with stories of the care that they received over Dr. Kirkowski's 40 years of service.
Please invite a friend to attend and help us make this a tribute to a caring and dedicated doctor.
Arnot Health had issued a press release that stated, "Effective March 31, Arnot Health’s Canton office operations will be consolidated at our nearby Troy facility, located at 45 Mud Creek Road. Dr. John Kirkowski, who has provided primary care to patients in the Canton/Troy area since 1976, will no longer be seeing patients as of that date. We thank the area residents who have put their trust in Dr. Kirkowski and Arnot Health, and wish to assure them of our commitment to providing excellent care coverage for all his patients into the future."
Mr. Sliwinski asked if any one in the audience was representing Arnot Health. No one responded, and Mr. Sliwinski said, :"We invited Arnot here…they have chosen to ignore our invitation." He continued, "Our opinions were not solicited. This is an opportunity for us to voice our concerns and to acknowledge our debt of gratitude to Dr. John for his service."
He asked the audience for stories about Dr. Kirkowski, and several responded.
Elsie Carnes said, "Dr. Kirkowski was on top of every health issue.. It saddens me to see him leave and angers me that [Arnot] will not keep this facility open. I am disappointed they are not here…I have loved [Dr. Kirkowski] through the years as a doctor, a caregiver and a person."
Mr. Sliwinski said, "He has dedicated his life to this community."
He offered his personal opinion on the Canton office closing: "I think the decision was fast-tracked." He said, "The Doctor's contract is terminated, with the staff to find other employment." He said he would not speculate on Doctor Kirkowski's contract.
A member of the audience said "this was a decision made in a boardroom. If they treat Dr. Kirkowski like a number, how will they treat the patients?" she asked. "It's an organization I don't want to deal with," she exclaimed, and the audience responded with loud applause.
William Holland said, "Dr. Kirkowski took time to listen to your concerns. He would call after hours to see how you were doing."
Several members of the audience said that there don't seem to be many cars in the lot at the Arnot facility at Mud Creek Road. Mr. Holland said, "Dr. Kirkowski has seen several thousand patients - that facility is in trouble. It doesn't take an Einstein to figure it out …corporate greed." He added, "They decided to close the Canton office before a ground swell of opinion could form." Mr. Sliwinski said that analysis was "spot on." This also was greeted by applause.
Cheryl Bardo said that Dr. Kirkowski has seen several generations of her family, from her grandparents to her "preemie grandson," and none of them have yet to hear from Arnot. "It was appalling to hear this first on Facebook!" She said that her condition requires several specialists, and said, "I have looked to Dr. Kirkowski with confidence to oversee [the specialists]. It is disconcerting to find another doctor. I don't know who to go to. If [Arnot] truly cares, why are these issues not being considered?"
"Now we have to go to a new facility or a new doctor. These are uncomfortable decisions; but it has been handled with the utmost disrespect. He has the right to retire on his own terms."
Patsy Shaffer said, "Why would I want to go to a facility when my doctor is not there?"
Ron Colton and several members of the audience claimed that the statements in the letters from Arnot "are false." "They said he has 'chosen to retire.' but this is not true," he claimed
Mr. Sliwinski was given a copy of the letter and read it, and when he read, "Dr. Kirkowski plans to retire effective March 31," the audience groaned.
Another letter stated that the office was closing and the doctor's contract terminated, but people in the audience said that his contract was signed December 31, 2014 and has not expired.
Mr. Sliwinski emphasized, "Doctor Kirkowski has been hurt, but he has not orchestrated [today's event]."
Bob Bentley said, "Dr. Kirkowski had no idea he was going to retire." Gordon Matson agreed, "He had no plans to retire. He enjoyed [his work.]"
Dwayne Buchanan said that since he had injured his back 36 years ago he had been seeing Doctor Kirkowski. He even got to see him on a Saturday morning, and declared that "Arnot will not get my business any more."
Connie Liddic related a story when Troy Hospital sent a member of her family to Dr. Kirkowski's home in Windfall to splint a finger.
Several people agreed with Mr. Sliwinski's observation that, "Dr. Kirkowski always had a twinkle in his eye, he was always so relaxing. No one ever saw him without a smile."
Several remembered times when the Doctor made house calls to their homes.
Carol Bastion complimented the staff at the Canton facility, and added, "They have been told to find other jobs. Our community is already suffering. To lose one more thing is sad. He would help all hours of the day or night. He was our doctor for forty years."
Mr. Sliwinski said, "John gave up Saturdays to be with the kids at the football games. My hat is off to him. He was not just a medical professional, but also was a family man."
Jake Shaffer said, "He went the extra mile [for his patients]."
Joy Brann was applauded when she said, "The staff [at the Canton facility] is extraordinary."
There was a discussion about how records would be transferred to a new doctor, and Mr. Sliwinski reminded the audience that petitions protesting the closing of the office still are available, but told the audience," Will Arnot change its mind.? No, I don't see it changing, but it still is important to voice our concerns. This [event] is a vehicle to get the word out…they could have given us six months [notice]."
Diane Barrett said Dr. Kirkowski is "Our family doctor and a good friend…he put a twinkle in other peoples' eyes!" She said that she knew it was not Doctor Kirkowski's decision to retire "because he would have told us, with a letter or a last appointment, or would tell us what to do." She continued, "I resent that I was not notified! We got no word except to read it in the paper."
Sue Sliwinski observed, "We don't have enough doctors in this area to carry all of his patients." Others worried they would have to go to Williamsport, Towanda, Wellsboro, Sayre or Elmira, in addition to Troy.
Another woman pointed out that "It takes time to switch over a primary caregiver through insurance." Others said that some medical services use computers to interact with patients. Carol Bastion worried, "This is what we have to look forward to - talking to a person on a computer." She asked, "Could he go in to private practice?"
Mr. Sliwinski answered, "I don't have that information, but it is hard to do medical malpractice insurance." Mr. Shaffer said that his son, a doctor, pays $140,000 a quarter for malpractice insurance. Ira Haire recalled that "Dr. McCoy [a Canton physician who was 'the family doctor' for many Canton folks until his retirement in the 1970s] refused to pay his premium for malpractice insurance." and wondered if that could be possible now. He also said that Dr. Kirkowski made housecalls and made telephone calls to see how his patients are doing. "Arnot doesn't know anything about that," he said. Although some in the audience vowed to have nothing to do with Arnot, Mr. Haire said that "Dr. Kirkowski has sent me to very good specialists at Arnot. They have a lot of good doctors. We shouldn't badmouth Arnot. It is a business proposition to them…I feel for Dr. Kirkowski, He was a family doctor. I don't think there is another one [like him] in the state."
Mr. Sliwinski said, "Dr. Kirkowski's goal was to be servant to people and that's what he was."
There were comments that a Physician Assistant would be taking Dr. Kirkowski's place. There were some remarks made concerning Dr. Kirkowski and a replacement. In a conversation with the Independent-Sentinel on March 16. "They never asked me to train anyone. I was concerned about the transition and hoped for an extension for another month or two to give my patients the time have to another facility."
Mr. Sliwinski defended P.A.s. "We should avoid blanket condemnations. There are good PAs and good doctors, but we have a great doctor, who genuinely cares about us." He said that if he was present today, "John would have a smile, and maybe a tear in his eye. Maybe we can get the word out to him."
Mr. Haire speculated that "Dr. Kirkowski can't do anything until his contract expires in June. He is doing some soul-searching. He was trying to move into retirement, then go away and have fun We should encourage him to have fun, and come back and open a new office" Mr. Sliwinski said, "That is a great idea."
A woman agreed and said, "He should have been treated with more respect. He was in it for love - Arnot, for the money."
A former serviceman said he had served two tours in the military in Afghanistan, and developed PTSD. "I was treated like a lab rat [at the VA facility in Bath, NY]. Dr. Kirkowski just wanted to solve what was going on. He kept it simple and he took care of me." The audience applauded in gratitude for the soldier's service. Mr. Sliwinski said, "I was a Vietnam veteran." He began to choke up when he remembered how returning servicemen were treated. "Things were a little different back then."
Mr. Sliwinski said that choosing a new doctor was a decision all Dr. Kirkowski's patients will have to make, and he said that some will decide to stay with Arnot and some will not. He said these decisions should be made without pressure.
Judy Dole asked,"Is there any way we can establish support for a doctor who wants to be in private practice? Could we hire our own doctors?"
Mr. Sliwinski replied, "That is an idea worth exploring, but we should wait and see what Doctor Kirkowski does."
Bill Bardo said, "We should ask [Doctor Kirkowski] how can we as a community support him?"
Ron Colton said, "I am curious how many patients [Arnot] is going to lose because of what they have done." He wondered, "If there aren't enough who transfer to Mud Creek, they will close that, too."
Mr. Sliwinski estimated, "Twenty-five percent [patients] lost would be a significant number." He asked the audience, If you were the CEO of Arnot, would you have done it differently?"
He said that he was "happy with the turnout today."
Connie Liddic related the history of her family as patients of "country doctors," including Dr. Kirkowski.
After being asked, "Is there any way we can give [Dr. Kirkowski] a proper send-off?" Mr. Sliwinski replied, "that's a little premature. The community needs it and he needs it," but he wanted Dr. Kirkowski to decide what he was going to do before the community took any steps.
He then confided to the audience. "I shouldn't be here. In 1999 I was trying to be another Charlie Rockwell and had taken up bicycling. One day I was going up the stairs and was out-of-breath, I went to the hospital and they said I was OK, but John had the foresight to know about a VQ Scan. I had a pulmonary embolism, and other blood clots." He credited Dr. Kirkowski with saving his life, for without the test detecting the clot, one could have taken his life.
Closing the public meeting, Mr. Sliwinski thanked BCRAC for the use of the Theatre and urged the group to "find ways to support Dr. John."