<p>The hospital board of trustees has called a meeting for this weekend to review the recent firing of president and chief executive officer Joe Woodin, board chairman Timothy Sweet said Thursday.</p>
The Martha’s Vineyard Hospital board of trustees has called a meeting for this weekend to review the recent firing of president and chief executive officer Joe Woodin, board chairman Timothy Sweet said Thursday.
“We are carrying on the business of the hospital and the board is coming together to review and reflect on the events of recent weeks,” Mr. Sweet told the Gazette. The meeting will be closed to press and the public. “It’s a typical board meeting,” Mr. Sweet said.
Mr. Woodin was abruptly ousted on June 5 after 13 months on the job, sparking a backlash in the Vineyard community that continues to linger.
Mr. Sweet also said board members would be meeting with people from the community but he would not say who, when or where.
“We have reached out to some people and some people have reached out to us,” he said. “People are talking about what they think is right and wrong. The whole board was caught off guard by the community reaction. We all wish things had gone better and we all need to have an open and honest discussion about how things could have gone better,” he said. “This is a very good, thoughtful, deliberative board. Nothing is done off the cuff — everything is thought out as well as possible.”
He said no public meeting is planned to air community concerns.
“I think people would like to sit down face to face and have some assurance things are okay and that the board is being respectful. But we are trying to do it on a one-on-one basis because the questions become very personal and they often change based on who’s asking the question,” the longtime board chairman said.
A citizens group has recently formed to oppose Mr. Woodin’s termination, headed by Alan Brigish of West Tisbury. Arnie Reisman, a Vineyard Haven resident who has joined the group, told the Gazette Thursday that group members are looking for answers from the board. “We do not want to accept silence from the board . . . they need to know that a lot more needs to be said before we accept this termination,” he said.
Mr. Sweet had no more to report on the search for a new head of the hospital. Former president and CEO Timothy Walsh has returned on an interim basis.
But Mr. Sweet did say that a number of planning initiatives launched by Mr. Woodin now will be revisited, including a master facilities plan and the expected closure of Wildflower Court, the independent living unit at Windemere, the nursing home that shares the hospital campus and is owned by the hospital. The hospital is an affiliate of Partners Health Care with Massachusetts General Hospital as its parent company.
The master facilities plan was launched by Mr. Woodin soon after his arrival at the hospital in May 2016. A newsletter story posted on the hospital’s website highlighted the role of Emma Schumann, who was recruited by Mr. Woodin to join the staff as a senior project manager. She came to the hospital from Gifford, Vt., where Mr. Woodin had previously headed the Gifford Medical Center, a critical access hospital in central Vermont. In the newsletter, Ms. Schumann was credited for her skills in pulling together the master facilities planning team, cited as being on track to complete work in the fall. “People have been really excited and engaged in our meetings,” Ms. Schumann said for the story.
Ms. Schumann’s job was eliminated two days after Mr. Woodin was fired.
Mr. Sweet confirmed this week that Ms. Schumann no longer works at the hospital, but he downplayed her role in the facilities plan.
“Emma has moved on. I don’t know the circumstances of it specifically, but I know she has moved on,” he said.
He said the master facilities plan remains ongoing but subject to review.
“We are going to look at that to be sure we are taking the right course,” he said.
Similarly, he said earlier announced plans to close Wildflower Court in the fall will be reviewed.
“We want to look at that again and see if we handled it correctly,” he said. He acknowledged the deep financial problems at Windemere which has been hamstrung by a poor reimbursement rate for years. Wildflower Court has only three residents and has been losing $750,000 to $1 million a year.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sweet emphasized that he and every other board member carry the responsibility for the welfare of the hospital.
“For every decision made, I can assure you the best interest of hospital and the Island are at the heart of that decision,” he said. He continued:
“One of the things I want to get across is that this is the same board that hired Joe just a year ago. We couldn’t have been more excited about the experience and conversational style he brought. It should give everyone pause that this board had to make a very difficult . . . . decision that we made a mistake. That was a hard-swallow moment.
“It was our goal once we had made the decision and we thought this wasn’t going to work, to have as graceful an exit as possible. Joe took a different approach. What was also not expected was how personal all this became. As a board we are always prepared for a decision to be questioned, but not our integrity. From a personal standpoint as the chair it is my job to be the voice of the board . . . . my words are not mine alone . . . there should be no doubt that this was not my decision. This is not how a board works. Upon reflection . . . we thought it was going to be a quiet and respectful changing of the guard. We as a board and I as the chair need to accept some responsibility for what happened. Honestly I am sorry for the shock and confusion.” He concluded:
“I don’t know if I can now or ever be able to really talk about what happened. Joe’s management style was not in keeping with the collaborative and inclusive style we had hoped for . . . this was a slow-motion decision, it was not about a specific action or a moment in time. Confidence between a board and a CEO is essential. If that becomes lost, everything cannot work. We are trying desperately to be respectful of privacies, and there are some issues that have to and will always remain private. But it’s not bigger than meets the eye, this is purely a difference in beliefs about management style. And I don’t want to leave this on a negative note. The good news is that when it comes to health care nothing has changed — there is an amazing group of hospital employees working there every day, nothing has changed.
“What Joe came here to do was to continue what had already been a long journey for improvement. We all live and learn and we’ve done a lot of living and learning. This board is absolutely dedicated to doing the right thing. I hope at the end of the day that will be shown.”
Comments
And why do you think he hasn
Employee 13And why do you think he hasn't said a peep? They had the goods on him?
The photo at the top tells
John TisburyThe photo at the top tells the whole story in a nutshell. Under the previous administration, employees except administrators were banned from going onto the rooftop garden unless preforming maintenance. When Joe Woodin came in he opened it up to all employees to eat or take their breaks in. That is the kind of leader Joe was, he treated blue collar and white collar employees with equal respect, but he also held them all up to the same standard of excellence. Those employees who are happy with the decision are the ones who were shocked to finally be held accountable for their job performance or lack there of. The rest of us miss Joe and want him to know how much we appreciated his 13-month tenure. It was like getting a brief gasp of fresh air in a stifling climate. Thank you Joe.
I wonder if any of these
Employee 13I wonder if any of these people that have opinions of Mr Woodin have ever spoken with him for more than a "hi" in the halls of the hospital. He was arrogant and condescending; smarter than anyone else in the room, in his opinion. People do not get fired overnight for no reason. He made many unilateral decisions that may have not sat well with the board or partners.
Once the board gets through
Fish CrowOnce the board gets through the secret weekend handshakes, here are a few questions I would like answered from the weekend get-together, and please no platitudes from Mr. Sweet. You are doing yourself and the board no favors sir. Can't answer these questions, you get a failing mark.
(1) Was termination or even displeasure with Joe ever discussed in a board meeting before the poll.
(2) Was the poll and termination letter sanctioned by the board at a meeting, or just "after" the fact.
(3) What was the poll question and by whom was it handled. Did all board members get the same poll question.
(4) How involved was Partners healthcare in the polling (legal errors will be borne by Partners Healthcare,some insurance company and, oh yeah, the patients at the end of the line
(5) What did Partners Healthcare pay for the new "development" headquarters -- real estate and stately refurbishments for the developer in chief.
(6) Are we all consigned to creep about speaking "privately" with board members, some of whom are almost professional board members at this point. Well, i guess we are not welcome at board meetings or even on the roof-top garden, but we sure are welcome at billing time.
(7) Tim Sweet, your careless remark about an employee "moving On" says a lot about you and the board.
For a small Island, we have pretty good health care; but the key of confidence has certainly been shredded.
I find it sad when people ask
Long time employee West TisburyI find it sad when people ask me 'What is going on? ' at MVH? I truly thought in our move to a wonderous new building would include a round table for transparent discussion and team effort with employee and community input. Somehow we have lost the human element of our service to the same, longstanding, good-ol'-boys mentality. We as a hospital community have such an opportunity to embrace our standard of health care and amazing donors that have brought us our great facility. The administration and Board remain a toxic malignancy, ball and chain where no one has the strength to RIGHT the wrongs. We as staff do not welcome Tim Walsh back; it is a hard swallow to realize we are in the same dead wood of 25 years ago. Bread being buttered, no truth or transparent opportunity given to staff about what on earth is really going on??? Let's open the books....look at where money actually goes, see the dictatorial management of the Board.
Each day, I try and start anew, put my blinders on, and do the best thing, give the best care I can. Sad to have adapted to a head-in -the -sand attitude rather than conflict with the toxic energy of our Board and administration. I dare any one of you to stand tall and shake down this ridiculous banter we have been given about Mr. Woodin's oust. We all deserve a real answer about 'how Joe's vision was not in sync with our mission.' Sooo, what it Mr. Walsh's vision?..?? What is Tim Sweet's goal?
It sickens me each and every day. We could as a team do so much better. I remain, blinders and all.
I support the Board's
ED ChilmarkI support the Board's decision. Obviously that's not a popular opinion at least in this forum anyway. I plan on continuing my donations to the hospital. I think it's important because we need to keep this hospital operating in the black so that the standard of care remains high. Hopefully a new CEO will be found soon. Meanwhile, the board and the hospital will continue to have my support.
Operating in the black will
Washasore VHOperating in the black will be difficult to do with Tim Sweet at the helm. Consider this: Mr. Woodin had a signed multi year contract that guaranteed him employment to the appropriate sum of $440,000 a year (he took a pay cut to come here), and purchased a million dollar house. Without warning, he and his assistant were summarily fired. He smartly refused to resign under pressure. Without a performance review, he can justifiably retain an employment lawyer who will happily represent him for wrongful termination. MVH will probably have to buy out his remaining contract. How much is MVH paying Tim Walsh for his pinch hitting abilities while this fiasco plays out? Finally, the board and Tim Sweet want to "revisit" the Windermere issue that costs $1,000,000 a year to care for three patients. Unbelievable! Clearly, the board has not thought this through and will struggle monetarily to recover from this impulsive action.
Joe is an amazing leader that
MV Citizen ChilmarkJoe is an amazing leader that treated all workers with respect and demanded professionalism. He pulled the veil back from administration and let everyone have a voice at the hospital. His door was literally open and you could actually go in and talk with him. As CEO, it was his job to set the example of leadership. He demanded professionalism and accountability. You actually had to not only do your job but you had to be on time, be prepared for meetings, and just plain work a little harder. Prior to Joe, the hospital administration turned a blind eye to conflicts of interest. Joe did not turn a blind eye and this is what I believe is ticked off Tim Sweet and the board.
Joe's firing makes no sense and the more Tim Sweet talks and tries to explain the decision it just makes things worse for the board.
Tim the citizens of MV are asking YOU for your resignation. The sooner the better. We thank you for your loyal service but the gig is up.
Arnie and Alan we support you. Please keep the issue at the forefront and be encouraged that you are on the right side of history and supporting the right cause.
You should look at the
Some guy Near thisYou should look at the demolition and construction done without permits. Basic laws being broken. On a huge scale. Whole buildings being redone without basic approvals and attacks on then building inspector who couldn't fight this ugly beast. This predates the recent hire and subsequent fire. It tells the story plain and simple. Contempt for the rule of law, confidence in power. The board made these choices and I hope they are held accountable. Fat chance.
Why don't you ask the doctors
Employee 13Why don't you ask the doctors how they felt about him?
Mr. Woodin did great things
Change is inevitable Vineyard HavenMr. Woodin did great things for the hospital in the short time he was the CEO! If you have a moment you should Google him and get the back story. One of the things that you may not know, is that he is a widower and lost his wife to cancer. About his work ethic; if you drove by the hospital on a weekend, evening or even a holiday you would more often than not see his green Tacoma in the in the parking lot. He also had an open door policy and started a suggestion box for the staff. He took the time to learn the names of the hospital staff and what they actually did at the hospital. How refreshing! He could be seen in the cafeteria having a cup of coffee. Mr. Woodin brought in some true professionals and also trimmed the fat at MVH. Many positive changes that you now see implemented at the hospital are based on direct feedback he received from staff, patients and the community. He embraced a team approach and included the staff and community in important decision making. Mr. Woodin always welcomed feedback and suggestions to improve the quality and integrity of care. It is a very sad and deeply disturbing situation. My hope is that there is an independent investigation and that MGH gets involved too. Going forward, I am not sure if MVH should have the current board making important decisions about the future of the hospital without the opinion and input of the staff and community. My humble recommendation and hope is that when the CEO replacement process begins, it should involve a panel with the current board, staff and community members. Maybe the solution to this dilemma is to have a hospital board that is made up of community and hospital staff members. How does one become a hospital board member? That is a piece I would love to read. Does anyone know the answer? Who chooses the members of the hospital board?
Where in the world is
Off island MassWhere in the world is Partners in all of this? Perhaps it's time they got involved.
Open those doors!
Shenzi EdgartownOpen those doors!
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