8 September 2018 — 1936 mdt
More major changes at Kalispell Regional Healthcare
Yesterday we learned that Pamela Robertson’s last day as KRH’s CEO will be 30 November. We also learned that two Flathead Valley businessmen have been added to KRH’s board of directors.
According to the Flathead Beacon:
“For personal reasons, I am unable to continue my full time role at KRH,” Robertson said in a Sept. 7 statement. “However, after November 30, I will continue to work closely with the KRH executive team and Board of Trustees in an advisory capacity for key identified strategic initiatives.”
No explanation was given for adding members to the board of directors.
Readers should not reject the possibility that Robertson’s departure, and the additions to the board, are part of a settlement of the lawsuit accusing KRH of financial mischief. KRH already has set aside $21 million in anticipation of a settlement, an act that will not dissuade observers from concluding it’s likely that KRH is guilty as hell. But that might not be enough for regulators, who will want assurances that KRH will change its ways. Installing a new chief executive, and adding outside voices to the board, would give KRH a better chance of returning to the straight and narrow than asking an old dog to change its spots.
Robertson’s departure may result in a less contentious dispute over unionizing the nurses at the hospital. Robertson took a clear public stand against unionization. Her replacement might be smart enough not to make statements that stir the pot and constrain options for an outcome that is to the benefit of the nurses, KRH, and the community. Nevertheless, the struggle to unionize may be hard fought, for the nurses reportedly are going with the Teamsters (which I’ll always associate with Dave Beck and Jimmy “the disappeared” Hoffa), as mean, powerful, determined, and street savvy, a union as exists in the United States.
I want these issues settled fairly and quickly. A hospital should be managed for the good of the community it serves, not for the enrichment of the hospital’s empire building executives and star medical specialists. Otherwise, the stresses generated by the disputes will begin to hurt the quality of the medical care provided.