Dr. Chevis Eyeing Retirement

Good Neighbor - August 2024

Dr. Bert Chevis, M.D. has had a fulfilling and thriving family practice in Bay St. Louis for forty-two years. Now he is looking forward to retirement.
 
​- by Maurice Singleton

Good Neighbor is supported by

​ 
Things worked out great for Dr. Bert Chevis, he says. As a 1968 graduate of St. Stanislaus, he completed medical school and a residency, then returned to Bay St. Louis in 1982 to practice alongside his brother, Dr. Sidney Chevis, M.D., on Dunbar Avenue. He was fortunate to inherit the patients of the late Dr. John Rutherford III, who at the time was going back to school to study pathology.
 
“I’ve enjoyed working, and I’ve been blessed to have an active practice,” said Chevis. “It’s nice being in your hometown, too. All my family is here, and I still have brothers and sisters here.
 

 
“My patients have become friends,” Chevis added. “It’s amazing how old my patients have gotten. I’ve got 95- and 96-year-old patients telling, me, ‘Doc you can’t retire until I’m gone.’ I tell them that I’ll try to hang on. We have a hardy stock down here; many live to be a ripe old age.
 
“It’s been rewarding, but it’s also sad,” he continued. “We unfortunately see a lot of cancer and heart disease in the South. I wish that everybody did well all the time, but it’s just the nature of the business. People get sick. You try to catch illnesses early and keep them going as long as you can.”
 

 
In addition to being fulfilling and rewarding, Chevis talked about one of his more adventurous experiences while practicing in Bay St. Louis. He treated patients at the Hancock County Jail when Cuban prisoners were assigned here locally. He said that he would spend one afternoon each week at the jail treating patients there over a period of twelve years.
 
He said that the prisoners were interesting, and he enjoyed learning about their lives. Many of them were creative, and some of them would create pieces of art in an arts and crafts program to pass the time.
 

 
“A lot of them were really good at building things,” said Chevis. “I have a collection of boats made out of toothpicks and tongue depressors. They had a lot of good stories from there. People would buy the things they made.”
 
 The idea of retiring came in a dream or a vision, according to Chevis. He said that he woke up one morning in January of this year and shared his thoughts with his wife, Belva. He said that the date of December 15th had come up. However, after checking the calendar and realizing that December 15th was a Sunday, he considered the next closest possible date, which was December 13th, a Friday.
 

 
“I can’t retire on Friday the 13th!” he laughed. So, Belva suggested that he retire in November, before the holidays. After realizing what’s all involved in selling a practice that includes ownership of a building, the anticipated retirement date was moved to 2025.
 
Chevis explained the process of selling his practice. “It’s a lot of work,” he said. “I’ve talked to administrators at different hospitals, accountants, CPAs, real estate evaluators, lawyers. It’s hard work to retire from a medical practice when you own the business and the practice.
 

 
“So, I’m kind of thinking that I might just keep working,” he teases. “But I’m shooting for March. I’m hoping to have somebody come in and take over the practice, take over the business. But it’s not as easy as it used to be, because medicine is run by bigger organizations: corporations, hospitals, big insurance.”
 
“This is a good spot to come down to and practice,” he said of his location and selling his practice. “I’m not going to rush into it.”
 
If you or anyone you know is interested in taking over a well-loved, local medical practice, send them Dr. Chevis’ way.
 

---

Enjoy this feature?