Hospital board members previously asked Mr. Russell to step down on his own, but he refused, according to the report.
Following the vote, the board heard the results of a private investigation into several allegations against the board and the hospital’s information technology manager by Mr. Russell and other top administrators. The investigation determined that board members did not act improperly when they privately asked Mr. Russell to step down and that the IT manager, who was raised as a foster child by one of the board members, did not violate federal healthcare privacy laws, as alleged by the administrators.
The investigation reported that the hospital suffered from “a serious breakdown in trust,” and, as a result, the hospital has hired a consulting firm to improve internal communication, according to the report.
Palm Drive’s COO Lori Austin was also placed on leave but can return to her position once an interim CEO is announced.
Read the Press Democrat‘s report on the Palm Drive Hospital CEO firing.
