Medical Community Pitches in to Help Trent Pierce on Arkansas Medical News Inc.

Medical Community Pitches in to Help Trent Pierce

By: JENNIFER BOULDEN

Dr. Trent Pierce, Arkansas State Medical Board Chairman

A car bomb in West Memphis on February 4th nearly killed Arkansas State Medical Board chairman Trent Pierce, MD, making national news and shaking the state's healthcare community to the core. As the family practice physician slowly recovers from the traumatic injuries he sustained and more than 20 subsequent surgeries at Elvis Presley Trauma Center in Memphis, family spokesperson Scott Ferguson, MD, said the only thing more overwhelming than the shock of the violent act itself was the flood of selfless support Pierce's family has received from friends and strangers alike.

"I'm so proud of the medical community in Arkansas," Ferguson, a West Memphis radiologist, said. "There's been a tremendous outpouring of love and concern for Trent and his family in this difficult time."

Married 31 years ago April 1, Trent and Melissa Pierce were high school sweethearts and are true partners, Ferguson said. The couple has two grown children, Meredith and Tyler. Melissa is office manager for her husband's solo practice, but has spent every moment she can at her husband's bedside since the bombing.

David Wroten of the Arkansas Medical Society said the first reaction to the news that a beloved physician and leader had been targeted with a bomb was sheer shock. "When it first happened, there was just a tremendous amount of disbelief, which quickly turned to concern and compassion for Dr. Pierce and his family," Wroten said. "Ever since, there has been a flood of letters and cards, well-wishers."

Ferguson wrote to an e-mail list of supporters that Melissa Pierce had recently spent two hours reading another 100 cards and letters to her husband, many from people they had never met.

Physicians from around the state and even nation have called and volunteered their time to help keep Pierce's practice open during his recovery. Ferguson said too many have helped to list them all, but that Alex Dunlap, MD, of Jonesboro has been coordinating the scheduling of physicians working in Pierce's office, and personally fills in for any times left unscheduled.

Wroten said AMS board member Tommy Wagner, MD, from Manila, Ark. is one doctor who is regularly subbing in Pierce's practice an hour and a half from his home. "Here, we've got a rural physician in a small town like Manila, who is already swamped with work," Wroten said. "He's taken a lot of time away from his practice to care for Dr. Pierce's patients. That is the best example I can think of, of how the physician community has responded. People are really rising to the occasion."

"A lot of people have gone the extra mile, helping out with the practice or bringing in food for the staff or the family, sending cards, donations," Ferguson said. "I mean, you would never ask them to do all the thing they have done. These doctors especially are so busy in their own practices, and to come here, sometimes stay overnight, it's just incredible expression of love and concern for one of their fellow physicians."

Hundreds of physicians, medical colleagues and complete strangers from across the country have sent in personal donations for the reward fund for information leading to a conviction in the case, and the federal authorities have issued a $20,000 reward. In early March, the Arkansas Medical Society announced it would contribute enough money—likely $12,000 - $14,000, Wroten said—to bring the total reward up to at least $50,000.

Ferguson said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and state and local law enforcement have worked tirelessly to identify the person behind the attack, sorting through several hundred tips already. He estimated that about 20 agents have worked on the case daily.

The bombing occurred the day before the Medical Board was scheduled to meet. For that meeting—a more somber affair, Wroten said, and full of activity as investigators conducted interviews on the scene—Board officer Joe Beck, MD, chaired the meeting in Pierce's stead. Because the board only meets every two months, Pierce has not yet missed any other meetings.

Chairing the Arkansas State Medical Board is not an easy position, Ferguson said, but is something Pierce feels passionate about. "Trent has worked really hard and put in countless hours strictly on a volunteer basis because he loves it and wants to contribute," he said. "It's astounding that something so vicious can happen to such a wonderful person, and I think that's part of what's got everyone so shaken."

The Feb. 4 bombing happened just as the Legislature was debating the funding for a state trauma system.

It's because of the professionalism of the medical team at Crittenden Memorial and that hospital's proximity to a Level 1 trauma center that Pierce is alive today, Ferguson said. That exact argument was brought to the floor of the legislature, he said, as part of a successful appeal for the 75 votes needed to pass the bill. "Melissa was quite touched by that," he said, "and she told me how wonderful it would be if something so good for so many people could come out of this horrible thing that happened to Trent."

He said the medical team at The Med, as it is called, in Memphis was astounding and worked like a well-oiled machine. "Everything was just the way it is supposed to work. I sincerely hope that our Level 1 trauma center will be able to work that smoothly and impressively. It will be such a boon for Arkansans."

Always the doctor, Pierce has been very inquisitive about his treatment plan, Ferguson said. "He always wants to know about what medicines am I on, and why have I got this line or that line. He's a control person like most doctors are; they like to feel in control of the situation, but of course that's reversed now. It's not easy, but he's been wonderfully compliant. Trent's very determined and is going to do whatever it takes to get better."

Pierce has not lost his sense of humor, either, Ferguson relayed. When he received a feeding tube around Ash Wednesday, Pierce wryly told his wife, "I guess I'm giving up food for Lent."

How to Help

To contribute to the Crime Stoppers Trent Pierce Reward Fund, send a check to Fidelity National Bank, 330 West Broadway, West Memphis, AR 72301 or call (870) 735-8700. Make check payable to Crime Stoppers/ Trent Pierce Fund.

More than anything, Ferguson said, Dr. Pierce and his family want to thank the Arkansas medical community for their continued support. "Every time I ask Melissa what she wants to communicate, she says the same thing, that she wants to thank everyone for all they have done, from the community to the physicians staffing the practice to the medical team working on Trent. It's meant everything to them."