City Council Removes Memorial Board Members
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, all but one Memorial Health System Board of Trustee has been removed from his/her position.
City Council gave 10 out of 11 board members an ultimatum to either resign by 5 p.m. or be fired. Those board members disagreed with a $1 million severance package for outgoing Memorial CEO Larry McEvoy.
Council says it received one letter of resignation and removed the remaining trustees who did not voluntarily resign. A special meeting will be held on Friday to appoint a new Board of Trustees consisting of at least five members but no more than 15 members.
The Memorial Health System Board of Trustees issued a written statement before the 5 p.m. ultimatum deadline.
The following is Memorial’s statement:
We, the Memorial Health System Board of Trustees, in fulfillment of our fiduciary responsibility, refuse to resign from our posts and will wait for City Council to remove us at 5 p.m. today.
To step down voluntarily is to concede that politics is more important than doing the right thing or making tough decisions. That is a concession we cannot, in good conscience, make.
The Board has never wavered in its commitment to the best interest of the health system, and we therefore regret this action taken by City Council. For years, this volunteer group of seasoned executives and professionals has dedicated thousands of hours of service and experience to Memorial. We are proud of our work. Under our governance:
-Memorial’s quality and safety has improved. -Memorial’s financial value has improved. -Employees at all levels have received pay increases to bring them to market standards. -Memorial has been positioned for potential long-term success with University of Colorado Health. Despite the public outcry over our latest decision, we remain convinced it was fair and appropriate. The gross mischaracterizations at the heart of this outcry are saddening, for history of this event will be written in a way that does not reflect reality.
Although we will soon no longer be leading Memorial, our dedication to its mission remains steadfast.
Words cannot express the pride we have in our employees, physicians and leadership. During a time of great uncertainty, our team has continued to provide outstanding care.
The board remains supportive of the likely University of Colorado Health lease arrangement and hopes that the broader community will also see the wisdom of this relationship.
We have been honored to serve as guardians of Memorial Health System, and we are grateful to have had this opportunity.
-James P. Moore, PhD, Board Chair on behalf of seven citizen volunteer trustees
