GANGES TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — A medical emergency at the pole barn-tuned-doctor’s office in the community of Glenn prompted Allegan County authorities to put out an alert warning the public.
Despite the county’s warning, the office remained open illegally Wednesday with medical staff present and patients coming in for visits. Notably missing at the office Wednesday afternoon, however, was Dr. Bradley Bastow, the owner who was allegedly performing the liposuction surgery at the site.
Allegan County sheriff’s officials responded to the scene after an emergency medical call came in for a patient with difficulty breathing last Thursday.
Since putting out the alert, county officials say they’ve taken no complaints from patients at the office. State authorities report the same.
Inside the office, medical staff said Bastow was not available and declined to comment. The so-called “pole barn” was finished inside and divided into rooms. It was clearly under construction.
A sign in the waiting area appeared to commended the office for “excellent risk management practices that enhance patient safety and promote quality care.” But the agency that apparently awarded the placard, American Physicians Assurance Corporation, has not existed since it was bought out in 2010. Dr. Bastow purchased the pole building in 2015.
A patient visiting Bastow’s office Wednesday afternoon said he supported the doctor.
“I been hearing all this crap on the news. It’s crazy,” the man told 24 Hour News 8. “What the news media goes through to make a story is unreal.”
24 Hour News 8’s attempts to reach Bastow were unsuccessful Wednesday. At his home in the area, there was a car registered to him. Someone shut the curtains as a 24 Hour News 8 crew approached but no one answered the door.
Following news reports about what happened, state licensing officials said they are investigating Bastow and his practice.
“There has been no formal action taken against the doctor’s license at this time related to the specific article that was published,” a spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs said. “The agency is in receipt of the news article and is following the appropriate steps to determine if a violation the Public Health Code occurred.”
Officials with Ganges Township say Bastow’s office is operating illegally. Zoning Administrator Tasha Smalley said Bastow took out a permit to change the use of the building at 6990 114th Ave. to a medical office in May of 2016. Since then, the office has failed building code inspection three times — most recently April 17.
Smalley says officials have sought court orders to force Bastow to stop operating in the building, though it wasn’t immediately clear whether an order was actually issued. If Bastow violates a court order, he could be charged with contempt of court and arrested.***CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly named the doctor in this case as Dr. Bradley Bostow. We regret this error, which has since been corrected.***
