The East Carroll Parish Hospital will have a reception tomorrow from noon to 1:30 p.m. honoring the service of Dr. Don Bailey, and welcoming Dr. Dana Pippin to the staff.
LaDonna Englerth, East Carroll Parish Hospital Administrator, said that Dr. Bailey is very deserving of the recognition after 40 years of not only medical service to our community, but also due to his commitment to its improvement in many other ways.
“Dr. Bailey was one of the last of the doctors who owned his practice in town. He was always mindful of his role as a medical provider in a small rural area, and what that meant. He has always cared about this parish,” said Englerth.
Bailey came to the parish in 1983 and opened up his practice after he was recruited to purchase the building that Dr. William Harris practiced medicine in for many years.
He arrived here when the East Carroll Parish Hospital was a satellite facility for Regions Medical Facility. The local hospital was one of four hospitals in North Louisiana that operated under that umbrella.
Englerth said that there were numerous times during that period in which money was an issue– there were pay periods when employees were not paid, leaving the atmosphere among the hospital’s staff anxious and tense. Even though Dr. Bailey was in private practice at the time, he stood with hospital workers in their quest to be compensated in a more timely manner.
“Even though he didn’t have to, he always made sure that the hospital was taken care of. I can remember
him always asking about the financial stability of the hospital, even when he was not dependent upon our finances to survive,” said Englerth.
Bailey was the last doctor locally to perform surgeries and deliver babies at the hospital when the parish had a much larger population than it currently has. He built a large patient base over the years due to his personal connection with people and his concern for their well being.
Englerth said that Dr. Bailey took great care of his patients and they knew that he regarded them as family. “I have heard countless stories from people over the years of things he did, such as treating patients who had no insurance and couldn’t pay for medical services, helping patients get medicine such as insulin and blood pressure medicine when they couldn’t afford it. He would give out samples he was getting from pharmaceutical companies to help take care of those in need before big companies started these current programs of providing medicine to low income people for free.”
Bailey was raised on a farm in Bernice, La. He was the second of four children born to a cotton farmer and his wife. He said his mom assisted him in developing the confidence to stay focused, while his dad passed down to him his great personality.
After Bailey completed high school, he enrolled in Louisiana Tech and majored in Pre-Medicine for a year, before transferring to what was Northeast Louisiana University (now ULM) where he received a pharmacy degree. During his junior year, he was accepted to LSU Medical School.
After a couple of years in Baton Rouge, Bailey said he decided to take the degree that he had earned in pharmacy and put it to use to finance his dream of being a doctor.
He opened his own drug store back home in Bernice, and after six years, he re-enrolled in medical school and graduated in 1976 in Shreveport. He was now a doctor.
In a 2007 interview, Bailey said his relationships formed with patients as a pharmacist made him aware of the struggles of those who could not get medication they needed. He especially understood the plight of diabetics and those suffering from high blood pressure and how their need for their medication was critical to them in managing their chronic medical issues.
In 2003, after two decades, Dr. Bailey sold his local medical practice to the East Carroll Parish Hospital and became a member of their staff. What had been known as Dr. Don Bailey’s Medical Clinic became The Family Medical Clinic.
Bailey believed that because of the community’s small population, “we should be able to treat our patients with the best possible care.” That approach to practicing medicine is the reason that Bailey had the largest patient base in the parish, and even after the merger of all of the local clinics, many of the patients that still visit the clinic are former patients of Dr. Bailey.
Over the last two decades, Dr. Bailey worked with several younger doctors and nurse practitioners. The relationships he formed with his patients set an example for them and is still the gold standard for the hospital.
“Dr. Kay Kovac and Amy Hale came here and got their start working alongside Dr. Bailey. They took over many of his patients and they remain some of our most loyal,” said Englerth.
Dr. Bailey’s other roles in the community over the years include serving as chief of staff for the hospital, as a member of the hospital’s board of directors, as medical director for Shady Lake Nursing Home, medical director of Haworth Home Health, and as president of the Lake Providence Country Club.
After Bailey joined the hospital board, the group worked and came up with a plan that led to the hospital being debt free within two years. He said that is one of the accomplishments that he is proudest of as a member of this community.
“My goal has always been to make this community a better medical community than the one I found,” Bailey said. “I have always believed that the size of a man’s heart can be judged by his dedication to the world around him.”
The reception is open to the public and will be held at First Baptist Church at 407 First Street.
