Palm Drive hires consultants to heal rifts

David Abbott
Sonoma West Editor
The Palm Drive Health Care District’s board of directors has
hired two consulting firms to help heal the management rifts, and
find an interim CEO that is expected to be in place as early as
next Monday.
At a special meeting Wednesday night, Michael Wright of The
Results Group, a 21-year old management consulting organization
which has been hired through a consulting agreement with the
district, outlined his strategy for addressing the issues that have
caused turmoil in the hospital’s administration for the past
month.
Wright and his team will conduct “organization building” and
“board organization and development,” for the hospital’s board,
staff and foundation.
The training will consist of 2-3 sessions over the course of 6-8
weeks.
Additionally, the district has hired Texas-based Brim Healthcare
to help find an interim CEO.
The board expects the search for a permanent CEO to take 6-9
months, and will hire an interim to “stabilize the organization,”
with real experience, and not to “assess problems, but to
work.”
A public meeting has tentatively been scheduled for Friday, July
24, at 4 p.m. in the hospital’s conference room for discussion.
Board President and acting Chief Executive of the hospital Dan
Smith thanked the staff of the hospital for maintaining the quality
of care over this period, and stressed that he does not want to be
the chief executive of the hospital.
“I’m in the unfortunate position of being the chief officer,” he
said, adding that he is first among the people who do not wish for
him to be in that position.
He also assured members of the hospital and community that
rumors of staff cuts are not true.
Board member Linda Johnson wanted to thank the “management team”
that has been keeping the hospital working as the upper echelon
shake-up continues.
She singled out Chief Business Officer Cynthia Denton, Chief
Nursing Officer Karin Reese, Director of Finance Rochelle Winter,
and Human Relations Director Raoul McDuff.