THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 27, 1995 TAG: 9509260085
SECTION: ISLE OF WIGHT CITIZEN PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALLISON T. WILLIAMS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Short : 33 lines
Obici Hospital is negotiating with Smithfield Medical Center to buy the seven-physician practice, Obici Marketing Director Susan Stone has confirmed.
``Nothing has been signed yet,'' Stone said late last week, and she could not say when the sale is expected to be finalized.
Dr. Bernard Jamison, an owner of the Smithfield medical practice, could not be reached for comment regarding the sale.
Last April, Jamison denied that Obici, based in Suffolk, and Smithfield Medical Center were discussing a sale. He said then that the practice was not for sale. But at that time, he added that running a small, private medical practice has become increasingly difficult and that he anticipated some sort of change would be made during the next year.
Over the past seven years, three Hampton Roads medical companies - Obici, Riverside Health System and Sentara Health System - have expressed an interest in buying Smithfield Medical Center, Jamison said in April.
Obici is already partial owner of the building at 919 S. Church St., which houses Smithfield Medical Center. The hospital leases office space to specialists affiliated with the hospital. by CNB