DCH Board Chair Speaks Out Amid Turbulence, Leadership Changes

TUSCALOOSA, AL — It's been a rocky week, at least in terms of public perception, for DCH Health System, from the resignation of its chief operating officer, to Northport's appointee on the system's Board of Directors speaking publicly about his frustrations during his short time since being tapped for the role.

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These events, coupled with the subsequent deluge of public criticism on social media that ensued, no doubt prompted DCH Board of Directors Chair Jim I. Harrison III to speak to the ongoing situation via open letter on Friday.

GET CAUGHT UP

• DCH Health System COO Paul Betz To Resign In July
• Northport's DCH Board Appointee Airs Frustrations
• DCH Health System Announces Kindred's Retirement, New CEO

Indeed, the overall optics of the turbulence at present are less than favorable for the community-owned health care provider, from widely-publicized financial uncertainty and leadership shakeups, to basic safety — particularly after DCH Health System once again was one of only a handful of Alabama hospitals to receive a "D" grade from the prestigious Leapfrog Group in 2022.

Still, Harrison opted to lean on optimism in his outlook for the future.

"To be clear, our board – made up of men and women who live in our community – is committed to supporting changes that ensure we see improved patient care in the future," he wrote in the letter. "Every person who works at DCH is a valuable team member. To have excellent health care requires excellence from all of our people, from the top down. For our board, everything is on the table when it comes to making DCH even better."

This stands in stark contrast to the viewpoint expressed by DCH Board of Directors member David Albright — a noted University of Alabama professor who was appointed as the representative for the City of Northport last September.

Speaking to the Northport City Council's Administrative Committee on Monday, Albright read a prepared statement that entered his grievances into the public record. Among his claims, Albright chastised the Board of Directors for its lack of transparency, claiming he has been largely prohibited from attending full board sessions after not signing a Nondisclosure Agreement.

"I do not have access to hospital information that other board members can access," Albright said. "Additionally, my onboarding process to the board was stopped, so I have never been fully onboarded to the board."

Harrison did not address any of the accusations presented by Albright and focused more on the upcoming transition to a new CEO — Katrina Keefer — who is set replace longtime CEO Bryan Kindred in two months when he retires after nearly four decades at the helm.

However, Harrison did seem to respond, albeit without naming Albright, to concerns about the federal regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), that govern how the hospital system and its Board of Directors conduct business.

As part of his statement to Northport officials on Monday, Albright said HIPAA was cited as a primary need for him to sign a Nondisclosure Agreement that he — nor Northport officials — were made aware of prior to his appointment.

"Few industries have more regulation and oversight than health care," Harrison said. "Patient, employee and operational information is required to be confidential by state and federal law. However, as a health care system, we will be as open, transparent and engaged publicly as possible while always following the law."

Harrison's expressed viewpoint was one that aims to address the improvement in community engagement, mainly speaking to how Keefer is suited to address the present challenges facing DCH Health System.

Yet, the letter also did not mention DCH Health System Chief Operating Officer and Administrator Paul Betz's resignation announcement this week, which comes after more than four years at DCH.

In a memo obtained by Patch on Wednesday, Kindred said of Betz's resignation:

"After much consideration, Paul has made this decision in order to pursue other career opportunities ... He was instrumental in guiding us through a ransomware attack, an electronic medical record update and responding to COVID-19 ... Additionally, he provided the direction and leadership for implementing an intensivist program and new hospitalist program."

In his letter, Harrison instead chose to focus on the big leadership change on the horizon, saying Keefer will be highly engaged and seek the input of those in the area who want to see the quality of health care improved.

"She has a vision to first understand the situation and challenges facing our system, steady the ship where needed to improve our programs and partnerships, and, most importantly, create a culture here that makes it clear we care deeply about our employees and every single person we serve in whatever capacity," Harrison said.

Harrison then spoke specifically to the goal of improved engagement with area leadership — a frustration mentioned time and again in places like Northport, as its elected officials have been candid about their issues with recent actions of the Board of Directors.

"It's disappointing, for sure," said Northport District 3 City Councilman John Hinton told Patch on Monday after Albright aired his frustrations. "It's disappointing the fact that Northport has not been adequately represented during the last year due to the problems [Albright] has faced."

In his letter, Harrison said the Board of Directors and hospital leadership plan to have "very frank and detailed conversations" about local needs, in order to improve the local health care system.

"We also look forward to engaging more with our community leaders who want to help," Harrison said. "We appreciate the support we have received from our local city and county leaders, and we will be working with them and others to address the challenges we face."

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