Dr. Kory Blank, an orthopedic surgeon, has officially resigned from Fairfield Memorial Hospital, as confirmed by hospital board president Dr. Patrick Molt. Reports indicate that Dr. Blank is set to leave next spring. A Wayne City native, he joined Fairfield Memorial in August 2021 after completing his medical training at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Rockford and his residency in Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at Southern Illinois University.
Dr. Blank’s departure is notable as he is the third physician to leave the hospital in the past year, following Urologist Dr. Louis Remynse, who left in February, and Psychiatrist Dr. Mervin Leader. All three physicians were recruited by the former CEO, Katherine Bunting Williams. Dr. Blank’s exit will create an additional vacancy in the new three-story, $21 million hospital expansion. Recently, it was announced that both General Surgeon Dr. Lauren Williams and Dr. Blank would relocate from the new addition to the former Southern Illinois Primary Care building, which the hospital acquired early last year. This move aims to enhance the hospital’s Medicare reimbursement rate, although CEO Mike Cooper stated there is no set timeline for the transition.
Upon acquiring the former SIPCA building, former CEO Bunting-Williams canceled the lease with Wabash General Hospital’s Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Clinic, which vacated the premises on April 22nd of last year. The building has remained unoccupied since. Currently, Fairfield Memorial Hospital is operating under an affiliation agreement with Deaconess Health Systems of Evansville, which has appointed Mike Cooper as the new CEO and plans to hire a new Chief Financial Officer.
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