Dr. LaDell Douglas Named to AFMC Board
By Mark Keith, 08/27/19 2:19 PMDr. William LaDell Douglas of Hope and Dr. Harvey Potts of Fort Smith were elected to the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care’s (AFMC) Board of Directors at its May 5annual membership meeting. Both men will serve a two-year term beginning immediately. AFMC is a health improvement organization that has served Arkansas physicians and the health care community for 45 years.
Dr. Douglas has been a physician for 40 years, earning his medical degree in 1974 from Georgetown University Medical School, Washington, D.C. He spent his residency in the pediatrics department of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., graduating in 1977. For his undergraduate work, he earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 1966 and a master’s of science degree in zoology from Howard University, Washington, DC, in 1968.
Upon completing his residency work, he began building a solo practice from the ground up, eventually serving 3,000 patients with a staff of four. He provided 24-hour on-call services to his patients, plus pediatric behavioral consultations three evenings per week.
From 1978-1990, he was an attending staff member, department of pediatrics at Durham Regional Hospital. He was a clinical associate in the department of pediatrics at Duke University Medical Center in Durham from 1978-1988. He also served as a behavioral pediatric consultant at the Children’s Psychiatric Institute from 1978 to 1986 at the Regional AHEC in Butner, N.C.
From 1990 through 1994, Dr. Douglas provided primary care pediatrics as an independent contractor with PHP Healthcare Corporation’s Navcare Clinic, Jacksonville, N.C., becoming its medical director in 1992.
Moving to Hope in 1994, Dr. Douglas returned to private practice and continues treating patients in the Hope area at the Quality Care Pediatric and Adolescent Clinic, 100 East 20th St., Hope. He served as chief of staff at Medical Park Hospital (now Wadley Regional Medical Center) in Hope from 1997-1999. Since 1994, he continues to be an active staff member at the hospital.
After moving to Hope, Dr. Douglas enjoyed serving his new community as a member of several boards of directors, including the University of Arkansas at Hope-Texarkana Foundation (2009 to present); Hope Water and Light Board (2010 to present); and Hempstead County Economic Development Council (2011 to present), where he serves as vice-president.
While still practicing in Durham, Dr. Douglas worked to develop important administrative changes concerning the hospital’s operation and practice of medicine at the Durham Regional Hospital. He was also a founding member of Coordinated Medical Services of North Carolina, Inc., and a member of its board of directors from 1985-1990.
