Eureka Springs Hospital is experiencing turmoil following recent firings of CEO Angie Shaw, RN, and Chief Nursing Officer Jessica Petrino, RN. Those firings led to resignations, including ER Director Joy Kennedy, who said she resigned after repeated instances of being bullied by Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Cynthia Asbury. Kennedy said the final straw was being harassed and bullied by commission Vice Chair Barbara Dicks after the firings of Shaw and Petrino.
About 30 present and former employees of ESH attended the Eureka Springs City Council meeting Nov. 11. Fifteen gave three-minute statements while another five provided written statements during public comments. Most speakers asked council to remove commission Chair Kent Turner and Vice chair Barbara Dicks for failing to address employee complaints about mismanagement and concerns about the workplace environment. Speakers also asked for dismissal of Asbury and HR Director Jodi Edmonson, who was elevated to CEO after Shaw was fired Nov. 1 and Petrino was fired Nov. 4.
Kennedy, a ten-year veteran of the hospital, was head of the trauma, stroke, and sexual assault program. She said she resigned Nov. 5 after being exposed to a hostile and toxic work environment for some time.
“Cynthia Asbury, CFO, has had a negative impact on the hospital since her employment,” Kennedy said. “We’ve had an unbelievably high staff turnover. Her unwelcoming behaviors have affected me mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Her lack of respect, communication, and transparency has caused me great stress.”
Kennedy said Asbury portrays no teamwork or regard for her coworkers, and changes policies without notice or a vote by the commission.
“Kent Turner, commission chair, has continued to allow this and he has been known to yell and slam his fists on the table and I witnessed this in a recent financial meeting with him, Cynthia, Jessica Petrino, Jodi Edmondson, and Barbara Dicks.” Kennedy said. “Kent has been made aware by the recently terminated CEO, Angie, of many staff and patient grievances/complaints, but neither he nor the commission took any action.
“Kent was recently called to a meeting with Angie and several employees, including myself, who voiced their complaints about Jodi and Cynthia. Kent specifically told us that there would be no retaliation and that he’d bring everything we said to the board. That we would know something on Monday.
“Then the board voted to terminate Angie that Friday,” Kennedy continued. “The following Monday, in our morning huddle meeting, commissioner Kate Dryer was there. Jessica questioned who was going to be in charge since Angie’s termination. Kate stated we would know more after the commission meeting later that day. Kate requested I report my duties to Cynthia and give her an ER inventory and PAR [Periodic Automatic Replacement] list and stated Cynthia would be the “liaison.” Why would I be reporting to Cynthia and not my supervisor, Jessica? Maybe because the commission had already colluded with Cynthia and Jodi and had preplanned to terminate Jessica Petrino later that afternoon.”
Kennedy said Dicks has been known to walk into occupied patient rooms—a violation of HIPAA federal medical privacy laws—and was seen recently rummaging around in offices including Shaw’s, also a HIPAA violation.
“Barbara has created a hostile work environment for staff including myself both verbally and physically,” Kennedy said. “Barbara displayed behavior with intent to intimidate me, and verbally attacked me last week and made false accusations about me and I have proof.” Kennedy said commissioner Kate Dryer was also seen rummaging through Shaw’s office, where private health information is kept, after Shaw was terminated.
“Cynthia has been allowed to make clinical decisions without having any clinical training or expertise,” Kennedy said. “She was adamant in her decision to have the nurses enter procedure charges since April, to which nurses have never had to do before, and [they] have no training in coding, which leaves the hospital at risk for potential fraudulent charges.
“This also puts the nurse’s licenses in jeopardy. Cynthia has put a stop to restocking important and necessary items to provide standard quality of care to our patients because the hospital doesn’t get reimbursed, and Dr. Gary Parkhurst, Medical Director, does not agree with this. ESH has not had a budget since before COVID, which is the responsibility of the CFO, Cynthia.
“In the interest of the health and well-being of every Eureka Springs resident, I urge every member of city council to act immediately to assume temporary responsibility, or other just remedies, for the Hospital Commission within this body’s control until qualified commissioners are placed. I ask for the immediate removal of Eureka Springs Hospital commissioners Kent Turner, chair, and Barbara Dicks, vice chair, and the dismissal of Jodi Edmondson, HR Director/Interim CEO, and Cynthia Asbury, Chief Financial Officer. I also request that an investigation be opened on the rest of the commissioners to ensure they have good morals, ethics, and integrity. That they won’t make any rash decisions before doing a proper and thorough investigation. That they do not have any conflict of interests and support the employees of ESH and the people of our community and will act in their best interest without bias or discrimination.”
What the patients see are the staff who care for them, Shannon Magee wrote. Magee worked as admissions manager and central scheduler from August 2022 through March 2024, and from 2014 to 2016 in medical records.
“What they do not realize is that their care is being compromised by the management behind the scenes, including the Hospital Commission,” Magee wrote. “I believe in the mission of the hospital. I do not believe in the ability of the current management, nor of the Hospital Commission to effectively command the finances, steward its resources, or care for its employees.
“I have seen tears, anger, and hopelessness from former co-workers who expressed their love for ESH and the community, but also their fear and frustration as they were harassed, intimidated, and retaliated against by Cynthia, my supervisor, and Jodi. The community at large will never know the extent of the personal sacrifices that employees have made to keep the hospital open and provide for patients – including former CEO, Angie Shaw. There was no transparency with commission operations, HR issues, or other decisions that affected employees. When Angie Shaw was fired, current employees were left hanging for days – there was no notification or communication – only word of mouth.”
Magee said she received no support or help from Asbury or Edmonson when she had staffing shortages. She covered the shifts herself while being cautioned about accumulating overtime. “I did not receive a raise or review in my time there and was largely unable to use my vacation hours due to staffing issues and other demands,” Magee wrote. “I lost multiple hours of vacation pay due to an 80-hour accumulation cap. That’s right – I had accumulated more than 80 hours and lost them because I was unable to take time off.
“Cynthia’s micromanagement stripped me of the ability to create employee schedules for my staff, and this resulted in resignations and staffing shortages – three in a matter of days – in the critical area of ER admissions. I was directed to implement a new schedule that Cynthia and Jodi created for me. When I did, and the resignations began, I was confronted by Cynthia and aggressively grilled about how a pattern seemed to be developing with my employees quitting.
“After this, I was told that I could not communicate with my staff without ‘running it by’ Jodi or Cynthia. At this point, I was not allowed to manage or advocate for my team – only to deliver bad news and disciplinary action as they requested. My own resignation followed, adding to the extraordinary employee turnover rate at ESH.”
McGee wrote that she was a direct witness to Dicks talking about watching the hospital surveillance feed from her own home, which she used to suggest improvements on how Magee’s staff worked and interacted with patients – more than once.
“This is a HIPAA violation,” Magee said.
Magee’s statement said she felt the need to speak about these issues at a public forum with full expectation that additional retaliatory action will be taken against her.
Lab Director Tina Adams, an employee of ESH for the past five years, spoke about concerns about individuals violating the ESH Violence in the Workplace policy, which clearly states a zero-tolerance stance towards intimidation, bullying, retaliation, and harassment, regardless of an individual’s position.
Brandy Davidson, who worked at the hospital from 2021 until earlier this year, said she loved her work until Asbury became CFO. Davidson said Asbury had Davidson’s office moved across the street into a building with steps and no handrails. She said Asbury wouldn’t approve installing handrails for Davidson and others even though the Americans for Disability Act (ADA) requires reasonable accommodations for staff and others.
Another written statement read into the record was from Rudonya Chrisman, the only full-time medical laboratory technician at the hospital.
“When I began my employment at ESH in June 2021, I truly embraced the hospital’s reputation as ‘the hospital with a heart,’ reflecting the small-town community spirit,” Chrisman wrote. “Unfortunately, over the past two years, I have observed a significant shift in the hospital’s environment, and not for the better. During this time, I have witnessed numerous dedicated employees leave, many of whom genuinely cared about our community and the hospital’s success.”
Chrisman wrote that the management style at ESH, particularly from Asbury and Edmonson, has become increasingly punitive and authoritarian. Chrisman spoke of a lack of compassion and support and excessive work hours and staffing shortages.
“The strain on employees is immense, and the workload is unsustainable, especially for those of us trying to ensure quality care for our patients,” Chrisman wrote.
She also said the recent firings have exacerbated staffing problems with the emergency room: “On November 9, 2024, I was working with a team of undertrained and inexperienced staff. We had only one PRN nurse, one shift-key nurse, one nurse in orientation, and a newly hired physician unfamiliar with our hospital’s systems. Due to the sudden dismissal of the CEO and CNO, there were no senior nursing managers available for guidance or assistance.
“As the most experienced staff member in the hospital at the time, I was asked to help locate critical medications and equipment—such as stroke medications and chest compression devices—because no one else on staff knew where they were or how to use them. This is a glaring failure in emergency room operations, which could result in disastrous consequences for patient care, especially in urgent situations. If this had been a real emergency, the lack of proper training and equipment knowledge could have led to tragic outcomes.”
Chrisman indicated that another concern is removal of essential lab tests from EHS’s in-house capabilities. Previously, the lab could perform routine emergency tests such as CK-Totals for rhabdomyolysis, lithium levels for overdose/toxicity, and quantitative beta-HCG tests for potential miscarriages. “These tests were crucial for timely diagnosis and treatment,” Chrisman wrote. “However, under the direction of the CFO who has no medical training/background, these tests have been eliminated, and patients must now wait 3-5 days for results. This delay can be life-threatening. The CFO’s decision to remove these services—despite the objections of physicians who explained their importance—raises serious questions about the hospital’s commitment to providing quality care.”
Former Admissions Supervisor Felicity Berner implored aldermen to take temporary control of the Hospital Commission until qualified commissioners are appointed.
Berner expressed concerns about patient accounts with negative balances. “This is because Cynthia insists that all patients, regardless of insurance or amount, must pay their co-insurance up front before being seen,” she said. “Certain insurance companies offer discounts or waive co-pays/co-insurances for preventive services, but we were instructed to collect them anyway and refund patients if necessary. Why place that burden on the patient, why utilize hospital resources like this?
“After having a meeting with Angie [Shaw] for about an hour to discuss not feeling comfortable going to HR and feeling that things were not being done correctly, I received an email from Cynthia stating that I was not to leave my office for longer than 15 minutes anymore, if I was going to be out for an extended period of time I would need to let her know where I would be and why unless it was my lunch break.”
Allen Smith, who said he had previously received outpatient physical therapy at the hospital, said that Shaw being walked off the hospital grounds by police seems excessive. “I don’t think the Eureka Springs I know would tolerate that kind of behavior,” Smith said.
Austin Kennedy also protested a “complete lack of transparency” regarding the firings of Shaw and Petrino. He asked how fair is it when the people doing the investigations in a toxic workplace—Turner and Dicks—are among those accused of making it a hostile workplace?
Melita Stubblefield identified herself as a former employee and concerned citizen. She said an incredible amount of talent is being squandered and these trained medical professionals are being lost at a time of staffing shortages particularly at rural hospitals. She also said the hospital building itself has not been properly maintained.
Laurie Long, who said she worked as a RN at the hospital previously, reported that Dicks was trying to see private patient information on Long’s computer. Long said when she tried to stop Dicks, Dicks said she was allowed to see the information because she was on the hospital commission. Long said that is not correct.
Dru Ellis, one of only two staff nurses at ESH, said there has been a high turnover rate because of the CFO’s authoritarian leadership. Ellis said that the bad working environment has made it difficult to hire new nurses, and that he has worked nine out of the past 12 holidays.
Ethan Cooper, currently a contract nurse employee at the ER. “We have lost all nursing leadership at the hospital,” Cooper wrote. “As a contract employee, we depend heavily on structured nursing processes and leadership to be effective due to our customary short employment. It was brought to my attention that on 11/9, a new employee and two employees that do not work full time here relied on non-nursing staff to direct them on how critical processes are performed and where critical supplies are located. This is unheard of.
“They did not only terminate leadership but also the structure for additional nurses to respond in emergency situations where patients’ needs overwhelmed the staff on shift. The failure of the commission to recognize how vital leadership is for the patient’s safety and for the licensing of employees has motivated me to write this letter. My hope in explaining the situation is that more oversight of the commission can be taken before more hasty decisions can be made without thorough evaluation of the consequences on the community and staff.”
Alderman Steve Holifield requested the hospital issue be placed on the agenda for the next city council meeting, Dec. 9.
Chair Kent Turner said he was not at the meeting Monday night, did not know what was said and had no comment. Vice-chair Barbara Dicks, CFO Asbury and HR Director Edmonson did not return phone calls prior to the deadline.