WILLIAMSTON, N.C. (WNCT) — Citizens in Martin County are frustrated due to not having access to their medical records at the now-closed Martin General Hospital.
“This is not something the county is responsible for but in light of the fact our citizens need their records, we wanna help them if we can,” Commissioner David Skip Gurganus said. “We’re just gonna discuss the topic and see with our legal team if there are any possibilities that the county can help with this.”
The medical records are in the hands of Don A. Beskrone, the Martin General Hospital Bankruptcy trustee. Gurganus said under state law, it’s Beskrone’s responsibility to handle the records and find a provider for them.
“He has not been able to find a provider to come in and do it,” Gurganus said. “Even our legal team and manager have reached out to find companies to do it and have been unsuccessful. They’re hard to find.”
Gurganus also said it takes a certified company to be able to hand records out due to legalities, HIPPA, and other matters.
One Martin County resident said she’s been trying to obtain her and her family’s records since two weeks after the hospital’s closure.
“For instance, my husband and his 93-year-old mother are not able to be treated to the best of another provider’s ability because they don’t know the whole story,” Martin County Public Information Officer Sarah Hodges-Stalls said. It’s no fault to the next provider but that’s what’s holding us up right now.”
In a statement, Don A. Beskrone’s office said:
Mr. Beskrone and our entire team are working diligently to address any medical records access issues that former patients of the hospital may be having. Unfortunately, this process has taken time to iron out. Patients have been directed to the website https://martingeneral.com, and we can provide updates as progress is made.
You can also contact Don A. Beskrone’s office at 302-504-3708.
Interim county manager named
Martin County also has an interim manager. Commissioners on Wednesday chose the county’s attorney, Ben Eisner, as the new county manager. He will start Nov. 1 and will serve through the rest of the year. County leaders will continue their search for a permanent county manager.
