Not only did you take away our physician, you eviscerated our trust.

To the Editor:

As a longtime patient of Dr. Hedy Migden, I am outraged by her recent termination at the hands of St. Peter's Health Partners/Trinity Health. Their unethical actions have made a mockery of their own "core values" and I, like many of her patients, have absolutely no trust when it comes to this health-care organization.

Where was their integrity they tout as one of their core values when it came to making this unconscionable decision and subsequent firing of one of the finest physicians I have ever known?

As a registered professional nurse practicing for almost 50 years, I am certainly able to discern the qualifications that one would want their physician to have, to practice, and to consistently demonstrate to his or her patients.

During my career, I worked at St. Peter's Hospital for 14 years where I encountered and interacted with many physicians on a daily basis, including Dr. Migden. I read their patient notes, reviewed their orders, observed patient interactions, noted the treatment plan, and was either passively or actively aware of the communication with the nurses and other health-care staff involved in the patient's care.

Having a nursing background and firsthand knowledge of a physician's professional practices certainly gives one a leg up when it comes to choosing a physician. Almost 20 years ago, I chose Dr. Migden to be my primary care provider based on what I saw, heard, read, and knew about her as a physician and as a person.

Her level of patient care was exceptional and her interactions with staff was always courteous, kind and professional. As her patient, I was treated with the dignity and compassion one hopes to have in a physician-patient relationship.

Dr. Migden was the consummate professional and I never doubted that her clinical judgment and recommendations were in my best interest. Her compassion, care, and professionalism never wavered. Subsequently, as some patients and health-care professionals could only wish for, Dr. Migden developed a long-lasting and very trusting relationship with me.

St. Peter's Health Partners/Trinity Health has irreparably harmed Dr. Migden personally and professionally.

Above and beyond that, St. Peter's Health Partners/Trinity Health failure to plan for or communicate with the thousands of patients in her practice is absolutely egregious, unprofessional, and unethical.

We, her patients, were abandoned though not in the traditional sense but by your actions as an organization. Whatever plan there was to continue care for all her patients was woefully inadequate, after the fact, disorganized at best, and essentially as misguided as a rudderless ship in rough seas.

While the St. Peter's Health Partners/Trinity Health administrators may claim this was a contractual matter, please know your actions have had a far-reaching and long-lasting effect. Not only did you take away our physician, you eviscerated our trust.

Please explain to me and all the rest of Dr. Migden's patients, how your actions serve the common good.

Perhaps you need to be reminded of another core value from your mission statement: justice. In your own words regarding justice, St. Peter's Health Partners/Trinity Health claim to "foster right relationships to promote the common good.”

Clearly your actions had the opposite effect and the end result is that the common good was violated willfully and knowingly. The patients Dr. Migden has cared for will not forget this and some of us will not be seeking care at your doorstep.

Penny Grimes, M.S., R.N.

Rensselaerville

Editor’s note: Penny Grimes signed off as a graduate of the Albany Medical Center School of Nursing, Class of 1969.

More Letters to the Editor

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.