Eureka Springs City Council voted unanimously Monday evening to give the Eureka Springs Hospital Commission two weeks to remove hospital interim CEO and HR Director Jodi Edmondson and Chief Financial Officer Cynthia Asbury, or hospital commissioners will be dismissed.
Since November, council and hospital commissioners have heard complaints from more than 25 current and former ESH employees alleging that Edmondson and Asbury harassed and wrongfully terminated employees. Problems broke into the open after the Nov. 1 firing of former CEO Angie Shaw by the commission. After Shaw was fired, a dozen employees signed a letter supporting her and outlining complaints against Edmondson and Asbury.
On Nov. 3, commissioners responded by firing Chief Nursing Officer Jessica Petrino, who had signed the letter. Others who signed the letter have since been fired or resigned. The hospital has gone from being primarily staffed with locals to being largely staffed by more expensive contract employees who live elsewhere. According to an income statement from Asbury dated Jan. 31, monthly expenses for staff salary and wages were about $139,000 compared to contract labor expenses of $272,000.
Dr. Gary Parkhurst, who was medical director and had worked at the ESH nearly ten years, found out that the staffing agency he worked for, Emergency Staffing Solutions, had been terminated when he went into the hospital in late January and his badge didn’t work to enter the building.
The hospital had been on trauma divert due to the lack of a fully functioning laboratory until recently. But after one lab worker was locked out and other contract lab workers left, the hospital is on divert again, meaning that trauma patients can’t be seen.
City council was told earlier by former City Attorney Forrest Jacobi that it had two options: close the hospital or remove hospital commissioners. Council had earlier removed chair Kent Turner.
Alderman Susane Gruning noted that council has heard complaints not just from employees or ex-employees. New voices Monday night included two travel laboratory science workers, one who spoke and another who submitted written comments.
“There was a lack of understanding of laboratory processes and what needed to be done in order to maintain compliance with regulations,” travel lab worker Ashley Clark wrote. “They didn’t trust or listen to us when I repeatedly explained what needed to be done and how important it was to take immediate action and communicate effectively. They expected us to work out of compliance and did not provide the access or support required to continue testing without compromising patient care.
“… We lost April as Interim, and they had offered me the manager’s position and had expectations for me to pick up her work immediately (whether I was in the position or not) after April’s contract ended. Their offer was $10 an hour less than my current rate, and they rejected my counteroffer.”
Gruning said the situation at the hospital has reached a crisis point, and employees and contractors are desperately reaching out for help, flooding her inbox with complaints, making constant phone calls, and stopping her with their concerns.
“One thing is clear, the complaints are consistent and unrelenting,” Gruning said. “At this point, leadership must acknowledge when it’s time to step back and focus on what’s best for the community. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened. The back-and-forth between staff and management is not only damaging but also weakening the hospital’s reputation in the community. Despite countless discussions and promises, nothing has changed.
“We continue to see new employees hired, only to watch them leave or quit in frustration. The closure of the lab due to two employees quitting, the resignation of the new medical director, and the firing of the lab director are just a few of the ongoing problems. The cycle is endless.
“Numerous staff members have filed complaints, lawsuits have been launched, and yet no meaningful action has been taken. The hospital commission and administration have lost control of the situation since it was first raised with us last year. It’s been over a year. How much longer will we let this continue?
“The hospital’s reputation is in tatters and its credibility is gone. It’s become a matter of employees versus administration, and that’s not a sustainable model for running a hospital. A hospital cannot function without its employees; they must be valued, respected, trusted, and properly trained.
“The current administration has failed to address the ongoing issues. Their inability to resolve staff concerns is a failure of their core responsibility to both the hospital and the community. It’s time to prioritize creating a hospital that the community can trust and that we can be proud of—a fully staffed, well-run rural hospital that provides the care our people need.”
Gruning said at this rate, the hospital is headed toward closure. “We have all failed to address the situation. The time for change is now. To restore confidence—both from the community and employees—we need immediate, meaningful changes,” she said. “It’s time to put the hospital above personal egos. It’s clear that the CEO and CFO are the constants in this mess, and the commission has failed to make necessary changes.”
One of the more outspoken former employees has been previous long-term lab director Tina Adams. Adams said the action taken by city council was a step in the right direction but there has been a lot of damage done to the community and it’s hard to get that trust back.
“A lot of us wish and hope that we can bring it back to a place that patients will want to come to,” Adams wrote in an email after the council meeting. “Even after all that we have been through as employees of ESH, there are many of us who call it home and would do anything to make it ‘the hospital with a heart’ like it used to be.”