Big South Fork Medical Center in Oneida, Tenn., dismissed CEO Tony Taylor, and named Hal Leftwich his successor, according to an Oneida Independent Herald report.
West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Rennova Health, the hospital's parent, told Mr. Taylor he was being dismissed July 25. On the same day, Rennova Health dismissed Chief Nursing Officer Ashley Griffith and Marketing and Safety Director Wayne King, informing them their positions were eliminated. The decision was "a surprise and shook" staff members at the hospital, reports the Oneida Independent Herald.
All three executives had worked at the hospital long before Rennova Health took over operations earlier this year. Magee, Miss.-based Pioneer Health Services previously owned the hospital, closing it in 2016 after filing for bankruptcy. Mr. Taylor oversaw the transition that led to the hospital reopening last year and Rennova acquiring it.
However, since its reopening, the hospital has faced numerous challenges. It laid off 20 employees, around 15 percent of its workforce, in June. There were also rumors that Rennova intended to close the hospital; however, this is not the case.
"We…look forward to this hospital serving the community for many years to come," said Rennova CEO Seamus Lagan, according to the report. He also described the executive dismissals as a "separation of ways."
Mr. Leftwich, the hospital's new CEO, most recently served as CEO of Fishermen's Community Hospital in Marathon, Fla. Previously, he served as CEO at Hancock Medical Center in Bay Saint Louis, Miss.