The center’s acting director Freddy U. Hofschneider Jr. declined to elaborate, saying he could not discuss personnel issues.
In his memo, Hofschneider told medical providers that “it is a policy that unless a [replacement] medical provider has arrived on island to provide the relief, the lone medical provider on island cannot leave island and/or clinic or will be charged with abandonment of clinic.”
The memo added, “And this is regardless of leave application being pre-approved.”
He said the Tinian Health Center will report any future abandonment of post/clinic to the Healthcare Professional Licensing Board, the CNMI Nursing Board and the National Practitioner Data Ban of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
Hofschneider issued the memo after he learned that a teenager in serious medical condition was brought in by an ambulance on Monday and the only staffer to attend to the patient was a physician assistant.
In his memo, Hofschneider said he “pre-approved the application for leave of nurse practitioner Arley Long on the day resident doctor Steve Lebamoff was expected to arrive from a vacation.”
Long was aware of the last minute cancelation of Lebamoff’s flight back and should have stayed until the doctor arrived, the memo stated.
“I trust that this will be an isolated incident,” Hofschneider said.
“Such irresponsible action from the very people that the staff and management have looked up to with highest respect and trust will not be tolerated,” he added.
He noted that Lebamoff continued to work until midnight on Thursday to accommodate Long’s request.
“Please be reminded that part of the responsibility is to ensure medical coverage is available 24/7 at Tinian Health Center and that you have accepted such responsibility when you agreed and signed your employment contract,” Hofschneider said in his memo.
“I trust that medical providers would pay much more attention and take responsibility accordingly or will face disciplinary action,” he added.
Variety was unable to get a comment from Long.
Yesterday, all Hofschneider could tell Variety was: “We continue to make improvement on our areas.”
He, Lebamoff, and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. are still discussing the physician’s extension of contract.
