Board leaders speak out on abrupt firing of Martha's Vineyard Hospital CEO: 8 things to know

Oak Bluffs, Mass.-based Martha's Vineyard Hospital board members confirmed that President and CEO Joe Woodin was fired, according to the Vineyard Gazette.

Here are eight things to know:

1. On June 5, hospital officials reported Mr. Woodin was stepping down. Mr. Woodin, however, told the Gazette he had been "summarily fired."

2. Two members of the hospital's board of trustees went on record with the Vineyard Gazette, confirming Mr. Woodin was ousted. The board made the decision formally at an emergency meeting on June 7. However, Mr. Woodin told the Gazette he was asked to leave on June 5, "with no notice."

3. Timothy Sweet, the hospital board chairman, took responsibility for the confusing way Mr. Woodin's departure was handled.

4. Mr. Sweet and Edward Miller, vice chairman of the board, also spoke to the Vineyard Gazette about why Mr. Woodin was ousted.

5. Mr. Woodin had lost the board's confidence, Mr. Sweet told the Gazette. He did not note a specific reason for this loss of confidence, but asserted that it was not due to any "malfeasance," rather Mr. Woodin and the board had differing opinions regarding the future of the hospital and where "final decisions should rest."

6. Mr. Woodin asked for a raise, because of which the board began an internal review. Mr. Sweet said the concerns arose out of the internal review process, culminating in the board's decision to let Mr. Woodin go.

7. The board had not formally voted to fire Mr. Woodin on June 5, when he was told to leave. However, Mr. Sweet said that "board members had been polled," regarding the decision.

8. The formal vote to terminate the CEO was taken on June 7, when all but one of the 15 board trustees voted Mr. Woodin out.

"Ensuring the ongoing strength and viability of Martha’s Vineyard Hospital is a responsibility entrusted to the board of trustees," wrote Mr. Sweet in a hospital statement, according to the report. "Every one of us takes this obligation to heart. We remain committed to making sure that this hospital is the best it can be now and into the future. Making difficult — sometimes unpopular — decisions is part of the role we have accepted."

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