Hospital board talks race, hiring practices

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The issue of race and hiring practices at Clarendon Memorial Hospital arose during last night's regular board meeting. A discussion of whether the hospital has given fair shake to minority candidates for supervisory roles -- and whether a board member and practicing physician has had support from the hospital -- followed back and forth about whether the hospital's insurance mandates a higher co-pay for employees who take their children to Hope-Health in Manning versus a lower co-pay for Sumter Peds. Board of Trustees Vice Chairperson Dr. Beryl Bachus-Keith -- a medical director with Hope-Health and practicing pediatrician -- said she has "quite a number" of hospital employees whose children are her patients. "With the hospital's health insurance, Hope-Health is not a provider of choice," she said, and to see her, patients pay higher co-pays than they do in Sumter. Chief Executive Officer Richard Stokes said he didn't know off the top of his head if that was right. Dr. Catherine Rabon, the hospitalist program's medical director, said she wasn't sure of the reasoning that the network includes Sumter Peds and Colonial Peds but not Hope-Health. "That would be pretty ironic considering we're the pediatric group in town versus in Sumter," Dr. Keith said. Chief Financial Officer John Shaughnessy said the issue would be "looked into," but didn't think changes to the network had been made. "You know our physicians still support this hospital," she said, and noted her appreciation for attention to the matter. At that point, the Rev. George Windley asked fellow board members to consider one thing. "The hiring practices -- and physicians. We are living in a global community. We need to see the demographics of this community -- I think this hospital should reflect that in their hiring practices also," he said. Stokes said several African American candidates had been recruited over the last year and a half but declined to come here. "We have an offer outstanding right now to a physician," he said. "As we get access to people we are certainly making the effort to do so." Successful recruitment has brought people from not only South Carolina but other states as well, he said. Chief of Staff Dr. Robert Eagerton noted his position at the S.C. Academy of Family Physicians has him serve on the Rural Health Committee. "In rural areas it traditionally is harder to get any physician to come to more rural areas," he said. "You will find that across the board." Dr. Keith said she thought Windley was talking about leadership positions in the hospital. Eagerton again said it wasn't easy to attract physicians to smaller, rural areas. "I'm speaking overall," Windley clarified. "This is a problem other hospitals are having as well," Eagerton said. Shaughnessy said a recent "super qualified" Chief Nursing Officer candidate declined an offer and went elsewhere, despite his and Chief Operating Officer Paul Schumacher's best efforts to hire her. And a male Operating Room director was also offered a job but declined. "So we have been trying to make efforts," he said. "Do we have an active recruiting process?," Windley asked. The recruitment process involves job openings posted on the hospital's website and Facebook page as well as other national online outlets, Stokes said. "Are you asking whether it's soley focused solely to one ethnic group?," Shaughnessy asked. "Minorities," Windley replied. "What I was trying to say ... the smaller hospitals in rural areas, you have to take what you get," Eagerton said. "Well, we have qualified people in all areas," Keith said. Windley said he posed a question several years ago about how many supervisory roles at the hospital are staffed by minorities. "And the former CEO said he'd been here over 20 years, and he couldn't find -- and that's what he said: None. I asked 'Where did you look?' And I'm concerned. It's not only me but the community is concerned," he said. "We have a good guy?," Keith asked rhetorically. "Oh, we have a good 'ol guy in maintenance." Tina Blakely-Huggins said feedback she gets along the lines of whether there are job openings usually include whether the hospital is hiring former Tuomey staffers. "I have had folks from different ethnic backgrounds ask me those questions as well," she said. "And I don't have a good answer for that." "It's Tuomey administration and Tuomey's friends of friends is what you hear out in the community," Keith said. Huggins said she was stopped at church recently and asked by a hospital employee who raised the same issues. "But what is the answer?," she asked. "What is it?," Keith said. "Well I don't know. I know for me, I was the first pediatrician in Clarendon County. Worked hard -- very hard -- over these twenty-something years, sacrificing, no other coverage other than what we had. I know the goal was to have hospital physicians." When that happened, she said she went to Dr. Rabon and said she and Dr. Reynald Garma offered to provide coverage. "Nothing," she said. "Zero." There's a shared perspective with other physicians in the community of being alienated, she said. "We continue to alienate physicians that have been here for years and sacrificed for years and that's hard, so you have a lot of bitterness," she said. "And that continues to happen and I'm thinking ... I'm providing a high standard of care and then you feel like it's not appreicated. I'm an African American physician and nobody tried to keep me here. And that's rough. That's tough," she said. "Well, Dr. Keith, I can disagree with that," Stokes said. "I don't really -- I dont think that's going to serve anybody any good. I mean, we have documentation that talks about how we tried to work through this issue that we had last year. I understand what you're asking about Rev. Windley -- I can promise you we don't go through and don't cull out, you know, all the African Americans. That's not what we're doing. If they're talking to you why aren't they talking to us?" "Those physicians who were here -- they worked hard. And they were not treated like others are," Windley said. Eagerton started to say he could "address to you," but Windley asked if he could speak and Eagerton said "it's not a race issue." "May I finish please?," Windley asked. "I have documentations from some physicians who worked here. Who asked (about) an office that was vacated and was not allowed. I have that with me." After a brief period of silence, Jim Darby spoke up. "I think you've made a good point. In the business environment that we're in -- and we are well aware of the recent history of the hospital and the direction we've tried to go in -- this seems to me a perfect opportunity and take this information and look at it and look at the options available and simply do something positive," he said. "That seems to be the answer to this question. You know, a new day. Let's go." "Move forward and bring everyone together," Keith said. "And that's for the good of all." "It's a global community," Windley said. "People come here -- they love the weather -- they come from all over. And I love the hospital." Darby said he wasn't judging the issue but saw it simply as an opportunity for a new beginning. "I agree 100 percent," Keith said. The board then called executive session for a personnel issue. Just under an hour later, the board returned to open session. No action was taken.