MCSA owners sending help to administration
Community Health Systems (CHS), the hospital company that owns the Medical Center of South Arkansas, planned to send a “resource team” to the hospital this week “to help support the current administrative team,” according to an email from CHS Regional President Kevin Stockton that was sent to hospital staff by MCSA CEO Scott Street on Monday.
Stockton’s email states that the “resource team” will be working to “better understand the Board’s actions and also evaluate various options moving forward.”
The MCSA Board of Trustees last week voted to request a “new administrative structure” at the hospital, according to another email circulated to MCSA staff by Street on July 30. The Board vote came more than a month after the hospi
tal’s general medical staff voted no confidence in the current MCSA administration and informed the Board of their vote.
“We expect this process to take about two to four weeks and you may see some interim changes during that time,” Stockton’s email reads. “I’m sure you can appreciate the need for thoughtful discussions and planning, and I hope that you will fully support the hospital leadership team during this process as they remain focused on hospital operations.”
The News-Times reached out to CHS corporate about the visit but did not receive a response by press time Thursday. The newspaper also reached out to Board of Trustees Chairman Rob Robinson by phone and email but did not hear back by press time. Alexandria Bennett, executive director of business development for MCSA, declined to comment or answer questions on behalf of the hospital about the visit from CHS.
The News-Times reported last Sunday that two nurses at the hospital, who asked to not be named, reported myriad issues in the hospital’s ICU, including understaffing and apathy from administration.
“We spent every minute of our day taking care of people,” with COVID-19, one nurse told the newspaper. “I called (administration) almost daily asking – begging – for help and being told ‘this is what you get’ and ‘deal with it.’”
In June, MCSA Chief of Staff Dr. Ezinne Nwude confirmed that the hospital’s general medical staff unanimously voted no confidence in the current MCSA administration, citing Street’s leadership specifically; she said then that the hospital’s doctors “no longer have any faith or trust in this leadership spearheaded by Scott Street.”
The day after the NewsTimes reported on the no confidence vote, Street emailed MCSA staff and said the hospital “engaged independent counsel to conduct a thorough and complete investigation of the matters raised.” He also disputed that the no confidence vote was unanimous.
Vicki Gilliam, an attorney representing 11 doctors who participated in the vote of no confidence, said the Tennessee-based law firm Bass, Berry and Sims was retained to conduct the investigation. According to the firm’s website, attorneys there have previously represented CHS in a number of legal matters.
The results of the investigation were reported to the hospital’s Board of Trustees last week. In the July 30 email to MCSA employees, Street said a number of recommendations were made in the investigation report, including “efforts to strengthen the relationship between our administrative team and the medical staff, and specifically included bringing in an interim Chief Medical Officer and establishing a physician advisory council. Other recommendations involved expanding clinical support by exploring the potential for a second OR (Operating Room) call team and working on additional training related to patients transferring to our hospital.”
However, the Board “did not vote to implement those recommendations, but did vote to request a new administrative structure,” Street wrote in the July 30 email.
“In the weeks ahead, we will be discussing what that means about how our administrative team is structured and operating,” the email continued.
Stockton’s email to MCSA staff says that CHS is dedicated to the El Dorado community.
“I want you to know that we appreciate the Board’s support of the Medical Center of South Arkansas. We believe that everyone - the Board, the management team, the medical staff and employees, and CHS - all share a desire to serve the El Dorado community and to offer safe, high-quality healthcare. Our goal over the next few weeks will be to determine the very best way to accomplish these goals,” his email reads. “I want to be clear that no decisions have been made, but we will work swiftly to put a plan in action.”