Dear Editor,
Recently my wife and I received letters from KRMC notifying us that our Primary Care doctor, Dr. Justin Garrison, is leaving KRMC. We were both shocked and dismayed, it was like someone in our family had just died! We have been seeing Dr. Garrison since he first came to KRMC in 2015. He is one of the best doctors we have ever had and now losing him puts us in a real dilemma.
When we asked who his replacement was going to be, they told us there are no other Primary Care doctors taking new patients and we would have to see a PA-C for our physicals, medications, and referrals. Or we could go to Urgent Care or the ER if we needed to see someone immediately.
The word on the street is that Dr. Garrison was terminated because he refused to get the Covid vaccine. If that is true, whoever imposed that ridiculous mandate at KRMC should be fired! Losing any health care workers at KRMC right now because of this mandate is a terrible loss to the community as a whole. Hasn’t anyone noticed the building boom going on in Kingman for the past 5-6 years? Everyone will be needing a doctor, and good luck with that.
If that isn’t the reason Dr. Garrison is leaving, then it must have something to do with the working environment at KRMC itself. We moved here in 2013 and one of our main considerations then was medical care. Since then we have seen three – and now four – of our Primary Care doctors leave, two doctors I was seeing for Cardiac Care leave, two Urologists leave, my Radiation Oncologist, and my wife’s Orthopedic Surgeon, all within just the last 9 years! If you look at KRMC’s website Urology Services isn’t even listed!
KRMC needs to step up and start bringing in more doctors and health care workers! If people are being let go because they don’t want a vaccine that has yet to be proven as 100% reliable, that in itself is an invasion of their privacy and personal choice. We know of four friends who received the shots and the booster and all four contracted Covid. The last I checked, U.S. citizens were still governed by the Constitution and the freedom of choice.
If pay is the issue, then stop putting in money for a new freeway interchange and pay your employees a wage that will insure enough employees and doctors to support a growing community! We have neighbors that are now going to Flagstaff and Las Vegas for medical care because the wait to see a doctor in Kingman is excessively long.
Dr. Garrison will be missed dearly by us and the rest of the community he served for the last seven years. We wish him and his family the very best!
Lee and Kathy Anderson
Kingman
Same thing happening here in lake Havasu
The vaccine mandate is quite simple. KRMC had no choice. KRMC receives most of its insurance payments from Medicare and Medicaid (AHCCCS.) If KRMC did not impose the mandate, they would no longer be qualified to receive payments from these two payers. Which means that the majority of Kingman residents would have to pay all of their medical bills out of pocket, and I’m sure that would lead to the complete failure of KRMC. If you want to blame someone; blame the government.
Dr. Garrison began in the Resident Clinic if I recall. Once doctors get completely trained, they often leave Kingman. KRMC has long had problems with drawing and retaining medical staff. I am sure other facilities offer better pay and benefits but one problem is the lack of community attractions. People like things like Target, Costco, chain restaurants etc. Instead we live in a place where people complain there are too many Mexican restaurants. I can’t say for sure but I doubt the vaccine story is true.