Doctors Resign

DAYTON - Physicians Kim Abernethy and Marek Marcinkiewicz have resigned from their positions with Columbia County Health System, effective Dec. 29, according to interim Chief Executive Officer Jon Smiley.

Smiley did not comment on the reasons for their resignations, both tendered in September. "We wish them well in their future practices, though," he said.

Smiley and the hospital district board are actively recruiting new physicians to fill the vacancies, but this is a challenging task.

"It's a difficult process to find doctors who want to come to rural communities to practice," said Columbia County Hospital District board member Ted Paterson.

Abernethy moved to Dayton in June 2013 and began her practice at Columbia Family Clinic that fall. Marcinkiewicz will have practiced in Dayton just shy of a year when he leaves in late December; he began seeing patients at the first of this year.

They leave two fulltime providers at the Dayton clinic: Doctor Andrew Park and Physician's Assistant Kim Emery. Doctor Michael Luce recently retired from fulltime duties. In the Waitsburg clinic are Doctor Kyle Terry and Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners Dawn Meicher and Kortney Killgore Smith.