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Dr. Michael Valenti, left, and Dr. John F. McPhail, right, were recently named ranked number one in the state for General Surgery in the March issue of Business North Carolina magazine. (Courtesy Photo)
“We were really surprised when we heard about it,” said McPhail Thursday. “‘It was completely unexpected and it is a great honor for us.”
The doctors also helped lift Sampson Regional Medical in the magazine’s top 10 for Gastrointestinal Surgery and Overall Gasrointestinal Services, at numbers three and eight, respectively.
McPhail said that while he is honored by the accolades, he and Valenti can’t take all the credit for them.
“We work hard to take care of our patients and we are really proud of it,” he said. “However, when you look at something like this, it is really not just us. We have excellent anesthesia and great nursing care — it is all part of it and we have some really talented hospitalists who help patients who have other significant medical problems — so it is an entire team that makes it all work. We just happen to be the guys who got our picture in a magazine (laughs). But honestly, there are a lot of people involved.”
SRMC Director of Marketing and Community Relations Amber Cava agrees. “We attribute this recognition to the many individuals in our hospital who work hard each day to provide safe, quality care to our patients,” she said. “From the great surgeons at Clinton Surgical Associates to the OR and PACU staff, we have a skilled team of people working together. We thank them for placing us among the top hospitals in North Carolina for general surgery and gastrointestinal services.”
Chief Executive Officer David Masterson said that he is proud of the recognition.
“Sometimes we tend to think services are better beyond our own community, but this is proof that high quality services can be found close to home. That’s not just limited to surgery — that’s all services in our community, medical or otherwise,” he said. “We are proud of the quality outcomes we see for our surgical patients.”
“I think if there is any value in this award, is that the people here can say, hey maybe it is not such a bad place,” McPhail said. “To get this state-wide recognition for this place is great. You know, the hospital deserves it too. It is big enough to handle just about anything, but small enough where they treat you like family.”
McPhail has been in Sampson County since 1990 after retiring from 21 years in the Army. “I came here from El Paso, Texas, and this is the longest I have lived in one place — it is great community here,” he said. “It is a great place and the people here are wonderful.”
He said that over the years, the growth of the medical community has been a great asset to the community.
“This place has been great,” McPhail said. “It has matured, developed and we really have an excellent medical staff. Since we have come here, the Outpatient Diagnostic Center has opened up, the Cancer Treatment Center had opened, the Wellness Center ... it has been fun to watch.”
Not only does having facilities in close proximity help patients, it also helps the doctors.
“We have the support we need here,” McPhail said. “We come to work and stay here, we don’t have to travel from hospital to hospital. We have great radiology, anesthesia, hospitalists and oncology is right down the street ... For the people it is good because they can really get most of the care they need right here.”
And that atmosphere is contagious.
“You are who you are here, it is really like a family,” he said. “I have worked in places where a thousand people are working, it is different here. When you are working on a patient, you are working on your neighbor, your good friend, it really does make a difference. I see my patients in a grocery store and they come up and talk with you — that is a wonderful thing.”
The Woodside Professional Building is located at 603 Beaman St. in Clinton.
To reach Doug Clark call 910-592-8137 ext. 123 or send e-mail to sisports@heartlandpublications.com.
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