Port Townsend, Wash.-based Jefferson Healthcare is facing a lawsuit alleging the hospital and its leadership violated the state’s open public meetings law, The Leader reported Oct. 29.
Arthur West, who The Leader reported is an “open government advocate,” filed the lawsuit Oct. 23 against the hospital, Jefferson County Public Hospital District No. 2, CEO Mike Glenn, Board Chair Jill Buhler Rienstra and other board members.
The complaint alleges hospital officials participated in “unlawful secret deliberations” regarding the formation of Peninsula Health Alliance, a regional health entity, The Leader reported.
It continues that between February and May, Mr. Glenn and Ms. Buhler Rienstra “convened and facilitated multiple meetings, executive sessions and serial communications among a quorum of commissioners without proper public notice, agenda posting, or lawful statutory exemption,” according to The Leader.
In a statement shared with Becker’s Oct. 29, Ms. Buhler Rienstra said the lawsuit surrounds issues previously disclosed.
“The filing appears to pertain to previously disclosed, reviewed and addressed issues,” she said. “We do not believe that there is merit to the filing or that the OPMA has been violated by the Board, and should this matter proceed further we look forward to responding in court.”
This story will be updated if more information becomes available.
