The Eureka Springs City Council and the city’s hospital commission, each were scheduled to hold special meetings on Thursday, March 13, with the likely topic being the hospital commission’s response to a demand by the city council for changes in the hospital’s administration.
The hospital commission was scheduled to meet at 10 a.m., with the city council meeting set for 1 p.m. Both meetings came after the press deadline for this week’s edition of the Times-Echo, but a full report will be available online at www. EurekaSpringsTimesEcho. net.
No agenda was available for either meeting on Wednesday morning, March 12, but hospital commission chair Sandy Martin said in a text message that the purpose of the commission meeting would be employment, appointment, demotion, discipline or resignation.
The meetings come less than 72 hours after council members voted unanimously to give the hospital commission two weeks to make changes or face removal by the council.
“I make a motion to give the Eureka Springs Hospital Commission two weeks to make changes to their membership and their administration or else we start removing commissioners,” council member David Avanzino said at the council’s regular meeting held Monday, March 10.
“Second,” said council member Susane Gruning, who had hospital issues added to the agenda at the beginning of the meeting.
“All right, I’ve got a motion and a second to give the commission two weeks to make change in the membership and administration,” Mayor Butch Berry said. “Any further discussion?”
A unanimous vote followed, leading to an eruption of applause from those in attendance, including many former employees of the hospital — some of whom spoke during public comments — who have complained for months of a toxic work environment, including harassment and bullying. Those complaints have centered around Cynthia Asbury, the hospital’s chief financial officer, and human resources director Jodi Edmondson, who has served as the acting chief executive officer since early November. Former CEO Angie Shaw and former nursing director Jessica Petrino were fired by the commission during a series of special meetings in early November and have since filed wrongful termination lawsuits.
Former employees, several of whom also were fired from the hospital, have voiced their complaints at council and commission meetings for more than four months.
An agenda item aimed at the council getting a better understanding of hospital finances — which was added to the regular agenda at the request of council member Harry Meyer — segued into Gruning’s request for an overall discussion of the ongoing personnel issues.
This came after recently contracted lab staff left the hospital, leading to the hospital once again being placed on a divert status.
Martin said by text on Wednesday, March 12, that the hospital’s lab was open except for the blood bank.
“We never stopped seeing patients,” Martin said. “We are just temporarily diverting patients who need blood products.”
Martin said emergency responders have been notified of the divert status and decide on scene whether to transport patients to Eureka Springs Hospital. If a patient does not need blood products, they are brought to ESH, Martin said. Patients who do need blood products are taken elsewhere until ESH is off divert, Martin said.
‘No end to this turmoil’
At Monday’s council meeting, Gruning said it was time for the council to intervene.
“… The situation here at this hospital, I feel has reached a crisis point,” said Gruning, who cited an example of an efficient, longtime HR director at the company she worked for was fired for not being a “team player,” adding that her CEO at the time told her: “If you’re not a team player, you’re not on my team.”
Gruning said she has been continually contacted by individuals who have shared stories of their negative experience with hospital leadership.
“People come, and not the same ones that come at every meeting, but every meeting we’re getting new people showing up,” she said. “We’re getting new contractors quitting or being let go. It’s really — they’re reaching out for help — they’re flooding my inbox, they’re making constant phone calls, I’m being stopped at events and being told personal stories. There seems to be no end to this turmoil.
“These ongoing issues at the hospital, to me, are spiraling out of control, and I know we can’t let Cynthia and Jodi go, but our commission can.”
Gruning said that while the truth regarding some of the complaints “I’m sure … lies somewhere in the middle,” she believes the issue is continuing and isn’t likely to go away.
“One thing is clear: The complaints are consistent and unrelenting,” she said. “And again, it’s not just the same people. … At this point, leadership must acknowledge, and I’m talking about our commissioners here, when it’s time to step back and focus on what’s best for the community. So, in other words, unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to have happened. The back and forth between staff and management, it’s damaging, it’s weakening the hospital’s reputation and our community, despite countless discussions and promises.”
Gruning cited a report in the March 6 issue of the Times-Echo that focused on Asbury’s recent completion of a 60day Performance Improvement Plan put in place by the hospital commission. A memorandum regarding the plan said Asbury had “successfully accomplished all goals,” and demonstrated a “noticeable and consistent modification in behavior, style of communication and positive interaction.”
“… In the Eureka Springs Times-Echo, we saw that there was a performance review, and I’m seeing a huge disconnect between this performance review, and how well that they did, and what I’m hearing from a lot of people,” Gruning said. “A whole staff of the hospital people against two. So, I understand that there’s complaints, there’s lawsuits, and yet, to me, no meaningful action has been taken. The hospital commission and administration, they’ve lost control of the situation… The reality is, perception is everything, especially employee perception, and right now the perception of the hospital is at an all -time low, to say the least. The hospital’s reputation is in tatters and credibility is gone. It cannot function without its employees. They must be valued, respected, trusted, properly trained. The current administration, as I said, has failed to address these ongoing issues.
“Their inability to resolve staff concerns is a failure of their core responsibility, the commissioners’ core responsibility, to both the hospital and the community. I think it’s time that we recognize this. Sometimes you just have to let … people go. If it’s not working out for whatever reason, these two individuals need to go. And if the hospital commissioners don’t want to let them go, maybe we need to make the decision then about the hospital commissioners. There needs to be some resolve here. It’s tough decisions. Nobody likes to see anybody lose their jobs, but we have a whole roomful of people that have.”
The rest of the council seemed to agree.
‘Sometimes you’ve got to cut your losses’ Council member Terry McClung said he recently heard about two hospitals in Missouri that had to close after letting all of their staff go.
“We’ve got two people that seem to be the root of all of our problems in staffing, and if they’re gone, we’re pretty much out of business anyway,” McClung said. “… Sometimes you’ve got to cut your losses and just be done. I’m not saying that right now, but I am inclined to ask the commission to redirect their thinking.”
Rachael Moyer, the council’s newest member, reminded that Arkansa Municipal League guidelines allow a council to create and abolish a commission, and council member Steve Holifield said he recently discussed that issue with Forrest Jacobi, who recently stepped down as city attorney.
“I said: ‘If we abolish the commission, does the city council take over the hospital?’ ” Holifield said of his discussion with Jacobi. “He said no. The state law says we’d have to turn right around and appoint a commission.”
After Harry Meyer voiced his agreement that something needed to be done, he mentioned the possible need for a special meeting.
That quickly led to Avanzino’s motion to give the commission an ultimatum, first mentioning a 30-day timeframe.
“… I think we should give the commission 30 days to start making,” Avanzino said, before being cut off by Gruning, who said: “I would agree to two weeks.”
“OK, two weeks to get everything together, otherwise we will start dismissing commissioners,” Avanzino responded. “Before the next meeting. So, I’d like to make a motion that we give the hospital commission of Eureka Springs two weeks …” Berry responded: “I would like to say 30 days.”
“I’m going to go with the majority of what council wants,” Avanzino replied.
“This is a council decision,” Meyer interjected.
Avanzino then restated his motion, which was seconded by Gruning and approved 6-0.
lab departures
A handful of former hospital employees continued to share their pleas to the council to take action, including a pair of contracted lab techs who started their assignment in January but recently left, with one stating she did so in fear of being “bullied or retaliated against.”
“As you know, we’re on divert, and that was as of Wednesday night, [March 5],” said Ryan Hoskins, a lab tech who recently left the hospital. “As of Monday, [Feb. 24], we had a full staff of four. That was us being fully staffed at this current patient capacity. We had an interim lab manager and we had three techs, me being one of them.
“One tech quit on Tuesday, the last week of February, and on the 26th, the very next day, the administration, Cynthia and Jodi, decided they attempted to terminate April [German], the interim lab manager, in a manner that’s completely consistent with the way that other directors were terminated — they didn’t let her know. They locked her out of the system, just ghosted her. There’s more to it, but I digress. They also made a baseless accusation against her in an effort to retaliate. Yeah, good luck with that. I wish them good luck with that, really.
“… On Thursday, the 27th of February, the lab was left with only two medical laboratory scientists, myself and Ashley [Clark], and we were agonizing over: What do we do? How do we keep this hospital operational? We are not local. We have nothing to gain and we have nothing to lose by working here or by leaving. I was offered three other travel contracts that paid significantly more, and I chose to come here because I wanted to, by the way, I wanted to help. I really like helping and we were making a lot of progress. The lab was in great standing when we left.”
Hoskins said Clark had some medical issues, forcing her to return home four hours away, leaving Hoskins to cover “24/7.”
“Not only that, we were not getting the support …,” she said. “We were not getting the support that we needed. They … were not communicating and not even trying. They weren’t trying. If they were trying, they didn’t tell us.”
Hoskins said she submitted her resignation and the hospital went on divert “for many reasons.”
“I didn’t want to get bullied or retaliated against,” she said. “I feared my reputation was on the line.”
Persistent pleas
Other former hospital employees continued to share their thoughts on the issue.
“For months, my wife and I, and dozens of other good people, either former or current employees have came before you with accounts of how they were wrongfully terminated, defamed, intimidated, bullied, or retaliated against for trying to report wrongdoing and unlawful activities going on all the way back to the latter part of 2023 by Cynthia Asbury, CFO, (and) Jodi Edmondson, HR director and acting CEO,” said Richard Webb, who, has spoken at numerous meetings over the past four months along with his wife, Samantha, also a former hospital employee.
“But you, Mr. Berry, have gave excuses, used every tactic you could think of to protect these people,” Webb said. “Why? You took an oath to uphold the law, and you have not done that, sir. This is a city-owned hospital, and you’re the mayor of this city. Do you really expect my wife and I and all the other good people that have been wronged by this and people of this community to believe you have no power to remove these people and try and give some justice to all the people that have been hurt by this? If you took an oath to uphold the law, and you have two people that have broken multiple laws, and it’s a matter of public record, but you still refuse to use your authority to remove and investigate these people, then you, Mr. Berry, have given up your right to be called Mr. Mayor.”
‘Hotter than a hornet’ Samantha Webb said she and her husband aren’t going away and also brought up allegations of possible omissions from Asbury’s application for employment with the hospital.
“You did see the letter to the editor about Cynthia Asbury, $20,000 federal fine,” Samantha Webb said. “She admitted the fact that she was over The Blossoms. Transparency, anyone? They’re not able to contact any former employers? If you were on this side, I’m pretty sure you would be hotter than a hornet and would expect something to happen.”
The lack of action taken against Asbury or Edmondson is the root of the issue, Samantha Webb told council members.
“This isn’t people who went to McDonald’s, got their orders mixed up, and decide to protest,” she said. “People are violating the law and nothing is being done. They don’t even have a slap on the wrist. You have got to be out of your mind. … You took an oath to uphold the law, to uphold the Constitution. Why aren’t you doing that? We’re up here, and I’m pretty sure if you were on this side, you would expect the same thing.”
Former employee Tina Adams asked whether the individuals who have transported blood specimens to Mercy hospital in Berryville have had “blood-borne pathogen training,” and said she believes a forensic audit by a third party is necessary.
“What will it take?” Adams said. “A patient dying before this council does something?”
Heather Wilson, a member of the Eureka Springs City Advertising and Promotion Commission who has written a series of letters to the editor in recent weeks regarding hospital issues, had a letter read during public comments by city clerk treasurer Ida Meyer, in part focusing on Asbury’s qualifications and background.
“… Questions surrounding the CFO’s application and potential discrepancies in the Performance Improvement Plan have surfaced,” Wilson wrote. “Specifically, the timing of the PIP vote in the incoming chair designation on the PIP raises serious concerns about its validity.
“Except for commissioner [Vivian] Smith, the hospital commissioners are entangled in a lawsuit indicating a systematic failure. We are facing a potential crisis where continued inaction could lead to the closure of our hospital. With only 36 Rural Emergency Hospitals remaining in the United States, we cannot afford that number to become 35, yet we are on that path. I implore you to exercise your authority and take immediate action, and this includes investigating Cynthia Asbury. Conduct a thorough investigation into her application, including a full background check and verification of her education. Determine why past employment was omitted, and why she would not allow the hospital to reach out to a former employer.”
‘A CONSENSUS’
Council members took time during their comments at the end of the meeting to thank those former hospital employees who spoke at the meeting, and others who have spoken at previous meetings, receiving more applause from those in attendance.
“To the past hospital staff, I just want to thank you for your tenacity and perseverance,” Avanzino said. “I think tonight we finally did something about it, and I hope we can move forward…” Moyer agreed. “I also wanted to say thank you to those who are persistent in coming to us with the hospital issue,” she said. “It’s hopeful that democracy works, so we’re seeing it in action. I appreciate that.”
Harry Meyer also thanked the audience, saying progress in government takes time.
“I want to thank you all for coming and informing us so many times,” Harry Meyer said. “It’s tough to get things off-center. Government moves slowly. I know it can be frustrating, but it does. It takes a consensus, and in order to create a consensus, it takes a lot of people coming to help us come to a consensus.”