ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - A national report recently put the spotlight on the Phoebe Putney Health System. ProPublica — an independent, non-profit news operation — produced a five-part online series entitled “Sick in a Hospital Town.” The report took nearly six years to produce and began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ProPublica said it wanted to tell a “David versus Goliath” story about how Phoebe was managing the coronavirus crisis, with Albany as one of the biggest hot spots in the country.

After being given unprecedented access to the hospital and conducting interviews with Phoebe employees and Albany residents, ProPublica said the focus of their story shifted. Ginger Thompson, who wrote the articles, said she wanted to know why Albany residents were so sick when we have a technologically advanced hospital like Phoebe in town.

The articles also delved into Phoebe’s cost and quality of care, based largely on government data.

“I spent five years going back and forth to Albany, Georgia. I spoke to countless people who both work in the hospital or used to work in the hospital, who live in Albany or used to live in Albany. I worked in lock-stop with craft researcher and fact-checker who has a long history and lots of experience in financial reporting. Our story was vetted by numerous editors. It was vetted by numerous lawyers, and all of our major findings were shared with Phoebe Putney. With all of that, we feel very confident that our story would stand up to scrutiny,” Thompson said.

Watch WALB’s full interview with ProPublica below:

“I think what I hoped going into this story is that Albany and America will get the best healthcare possible,” Thompson added. “Healthcare that’s affordable, healthcare that’s high quality, healthcare that’s responsive to the people who work in it, healthcare that is accountable to the people that it serves. And so what I hope is that this story triggers a conversation both in Albany and across the nation that will lead to changes to make things better.”

WALB asked the Phoebe board for an interview with CEO Scott Steiner after the publication to give the health system a chance to respond and to offer transparency to the community. We also disclosed our intent to do an interview with ProPublica for balance. Phoebe ultimately declined an on-camera interview, but offered the following statement:

In March 2020, when Albany faced one of the world’s most severe COVID outbreaks, New York City-based ProPublica reporter Ginger Thompson contacted Phoebe after seeing one of our physicians featured on a national news broadcast.  She expressed interest in highlighting our COVID response and the dedication of our healthcare heroes.  We agreed to participate, expecting a story focused on hope and resilience.

Nearly six years later, ProPublica published a very different account.  The story is incomplete, contains inaccuracies, and appears intended to create division within our community – a community that none of the people involved in the production of this story will likely ever visit again.

At Phoebe, we welcome accountability and honest feedback, especially from those we care for right here in southwest Georgia.  That’s why we launched a series of community listening sessions this year, why we meet regularly with patient and family advisory councils, and why we conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years.  We know we don’t get things right 100% of the time, and we value your input to help us continually get better.

The ProPublica piece, however, doesn’t acknowledge the strides we have made or the many ways Phoebe invests in our community, particularly to improve access to quality care for uninsured and low-income south Georgians.  It relies heavily on opinion and commentary rather than objective facts, misrepresenting Phoebe’s current role and deep impact.  Many of the claims made are either false or lack essential context, simply because they don’t match Ms. Thompson’s opinions.  It is clear she had a specific story to tell and ignored anything that may contradict her narrative. 

Unlike ProPublica, Phoebe has been an integral part of this community for 115 years and our commitment to Albany and southwest Georgia remains unwavering.  We are proud of the many ways we care for, serve, and invest in our community, and we invite you to learn the truth about Phoebe at www.phoebehealth.com/truth.

The ProPublica series also recounted the circumstances surrounding the death of Dr. Anthony Parker at Phoebe, and the lawsuit that the Parker family filed and settled out of court earlier this year.

WALB’s independent reporting found that medical professionals reported Dr. Parker developed dangerously low blood pressure during a cardiac ablation procedure.

His estate’s legal team argued that his anesthesiology team, “negligently failed to monitor, manage and treat,” which “led to a preventable cardiac arrest, significant hypoxic brain damage and ultimately caused or contributed to his untimely death.”

While the hospital system did not address Dr. Parker’s death directly in their statement to WALB, the webpage they provided states the following:

“When questions arise about individual cases, we respect privacy — and we learn from every experience. Federal privacy laws prevent us from discussing any patient’s care in detail, but every human being we serve leaves an impact on our teams. We grieve with families who experience loss and continually use those moments to strengthen our systems, training, and communication. That commitment to learning and compassion is the heart of The Phoebe Way.”

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook and X (Twitter). For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Copyright 2025 WALB. All rights reserved.