VALDOSTA — The administration of South Georgia Medical Center has put a stop to patients receiving the local newspaper during their hospital stay. 

The Valdosta Daily Times was notified last week the hospital was canceling all subscriptions.

SGMC has also banned all newspaper sales from all hospital campuses. 

For several years The Times has substantially discounted the price of the daily newspaper as a partnership with SGMC to provide daily newspapers for patients. 

The cancellation notice came Feb. 19, the same day The Times published an editorial headlined, “Hospital Authority violating state law.”

The editorial stated, “The Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County needs to stop violating the Georgia Open Meetings Act,” and called into question an early morning executive session prior to the governing body’s regular meeting last week. 

The hospital’s administration also cancelled all SGMC advertising in The Valdosta Daily Times and on its website. SGMC has advertised patient services, hours of operation and hospital recognitions in The Times and its other publications.