McKee Takes More Action at BHDDH and State Hospital: CFO on Leave, Chief Medical Officer Resigns
GoLocalProv News Team
McKee Takes More Action at BHDDH and State Hospital: CFO on Leave, Chief Medical Officer Resigns
“We wanted to provide an update regarding personnel changes at Eleanor Slater Hospital and BHDDH. Jennifer White, BHDDH CFO and former Interim-CEO of Eleanor Slater Hospital has been placed on administrative leave. We cannot comment further on this matter at this time,” said the McKee administration.
“Brian Daly, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Eleanor Slater Hospital, has resigned effective July 31, 2021. Ensuring high-quality patient care at Eleanor Slater Hospital is a top priority for BHDDH and the Administration and we are committed to identifying a strong candidate for the position of Chief Medical Officer. An announcement on filling this position will be made in advance of the date mentioned above,” said McKee's office.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe announcement comes just days after the preliminary accreditation report for Eleanor Slater Hospital was released, which raises serious issues of patient care, safety and management at the state-run institution.
“I am deeply disturbed and frankly disgusted with the findings of the Joint Commission’s Preliminary Report," said McKee. "The report is preliminary and highlights issues that have not been adequately addressed over many years."
"My team is doing everything possible to address these deficiencies so that the Joint Commission’s final report will make the recommendation to maintain our accreditation," he added. "Secretary Jones, Director Charest, my staff and I are working to improve operations at Eleanor Slater Hospital for the patients and their families.”
The 46-page report details a disturbing number of care issues.
- The violations range from an incident in which a patient’s wheelchair became stuck in a pathway and four staffers had to assist to free the chair.
- Certified nurse assistants were not properly protected during x-rays in the dental office.
- Everything from gas tanks to electrical boxes were not properly secured.
- Improper staffing and understaffing.
The list goes on and on. Previously, McKee has criticized his predecessor's effort in making corrections to the hospital and called the Raimondo Administration's assessment of the situation a "fairy tale."
“When we went through the budget time frame, there were assumptions that were given to us that were not real,” McKee said at a press briefing on June 9. “It was a fairy tale.”
“Those assumptions really short-changed the budget a significant amount of dollars,” McKee said.