WE MAY NEVER KNOW. BUT PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW.
ON DECEMBER 20, 2015 WE PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE THAT BLENDED 32963 AND TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS REPORTING ON THE RESIGNATION OF IRMC COO STEVE SALYER.
This article was subsequent to previous reporting by Meg Laughlin of 32963 about the hiring of Mr. Salyer away from his CEO position at the Sebastian Medical Center (SMC) despite his non-compete agreement; SMC’s lawsuit against the IRMC for hiring him; IRMC’s financial settlement with SMC and Mr. Salyer’s sudden abrupt resignation.
How much did this all cost IRMC, financially and in terms of executive productivity?
WE MAY NEVER KNOW. BUT PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW.
Who are we to be asked? What do we know?
But IRMC president and CEO Mr. Jeff Sussi and IRMC Board Chairman Wayne Hockmeyer, Ph.D must know. Greg Gardner, IRMC CFO must know, because someone had to write a check. Valerie Larcombe, Chief Legal Counsel must know.
If the amount of the settlement agreement, legal fees and possible severance were agreed to in an IRMC Executive Committee meeting, then we won’t know from that meeting because this Committee is closed and not open to the public. As such, it would not reveal information in response to a public records request.
In any event, in that Committee Mr. Susi is Exofficio with no vote.
So how do we find out?
In the Indian River Hospital District’s (IRCHD) Master Lease with the Indian River Memorial Hospital, Inc. (dba IRMC) dated November 15, 2012, under Section 8, Covenants and Representations of Lessee (IRMC), paragraph a, “As soon as practicable and in any event within one hundred fifty days (150) after the end of each fiscal year of the Lessee, financial statements covering the operation of Lessee under this Agreement for such fiscal year…shall be presented by the external auditor to the Lessee’s Board of Directors and the Lessor’s Board of Directors.”
Will the people who want to know find out anything from those financial statements by seeing a line item on the specific expense of the SMC settlement? Doubtful.
But then, in subparagraph b, it states: “The Lessee (once again, IRMC) shall furnish to the Lessor (once again IRCHD) the following…with reasonable promptness other such financial data requested by Lessor as may be demonstrated to be necessary to protect the interest of the Lessor.”
Maybe that’s the catch for people who want to know.
Mind you, IRMC is a not-for-profit institution, paying no property taxes, no rent for its lease with IRCHD and in 2016 is expected to receive, as budgeted by IRCHD $6,767,000 for indigent care and $1,350,000 for the Partners Program. This is taxpayer money.
Usually we use we, but this time “I” had a conversation with a wealthy friend living in Orchid Island who indicated he has always made a sizable annual contribution to the Indian River Medical Center Foundation to support IRMC. He said: “I’m done with the hospital and not donating any more money until there is a change in management.”
How many others out there have the same feeling?
Mr. Tony Woodruff, Chairman of the Foundation Board of Directors and a member of the IRMC Board of Directors and I recently exchanged emails in which he indicated he would be returning to Vero Beach on January 1 and would contact me to talk about the “IRMC situation.”
It’s the 8th. We’ll let you know if he contacts me.
“I” would say, as I have said before, this whole situation is not something to sweep under the rug.
Vero Communiqué 
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Just call Greg Gardner the CFO of Indian River hospital and ask.
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