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Conflict Still With D-3 Commissioner Ricky Herring and Southeast Alabama Health Care Authority

Rickey Stokes

Viewed: 3549

Posted by: RStokes
[email protected]
334-790-1729
Date: Oct 21 2021 1:42 PM


DOTHAN - HOUSTON COUNTY:    12:49 PM.  The Houston County Commission held their Administrative Meeting this morning at 10 AM.


Houston County Commission Chairman Mark Culver was absent and D-1 Houston County Commissioner Curtis Harvey was acting Chairman for the meeting.


The last item on the agenda was appointments to the Southeast Alabama Healthcare Authority. D-1 Commissioner Curtis Harvey was not present the last meeting so his appointment was not made. Commissioner Harvey said he intends to appoint James Kelly to the board.


D-3 Commissioner, Ricky Herring, stated that he has not been contacted by the Houston County Health Care Authority at all since the last meeting to discuss his appointment. D-3 Commissioner Herring said the person he desires to appoint or re-appoint.


D-3 Commissioner Herring said there is something in the law and it is very muddied when you look at it. The act begins in 1945. There are things over the years that have been added and changed. The Health Care Authority has the authority, according to the act, has the ability to amend it’s incorporation and to give the commission three appointments they recommend. According the Herring it says in there the commission “shall” appoint one of those they recommend. According to Herring that was not the way the act was set up in 1945 originally.


Herring said what he would like to ask this commission to go to the local legislative delegation and clear this act up. Herring said he would like to get a local constitutional amendment to clear up this issue. The way it stands now, whether you want to appoint one of those three or not, the one on the board up for re-appointment remains on the board until it happens. Herring said like “til death do you part”. Herring said there is an issue with that.


The recommendation from the Healthcare Authority might be one of their friends or someone they like and Herring said it does not seem right.


Herring said the commission, the governing body, says the commission is to make the appointment but there is a clause in there from 1988 and 1991 on file in the Probate Judge’s Office that reads the commission “shall” appoint from the three names submitted to the commission by the Healthcare Authority.


Herring said he does not think that trumps the law but he would like to ask the commission to get with the local legislation to clear up is this a commission appointment or is the commission required to follow the recommendations of the Healthcare Authority.


D-2 Commissioner Doug Sinquefield said this has been kicked around for a while and he understands Commissioner Herring’s stand. The wheels of government sometimes has some flat tires. Commissioner Sinquefield said he does not feel he is being strong armed. He gets the facts, studies the facts, get the facts and ones his research. That when it is time to make a decision he has studied the facts.


D-1 Commissioner Curtis Harvey said he was given a 14 page dialogue over a five year period of time concerning the infrastructure of Southeast Health. Commissioner Harvey said the commissioner have it, the CFO has it, Rickey Stokes has it and WTVY Ken Curtis has it. Commissioner Harvey said he thinks there needs to be a deeper investigation into the allegations contained in the document. 


D-4 Commissioner Brandon Shoupe said he was glad that was brought up and he thinks that is a great idea in a deeper investigation into that 14 page document. Shoupe said that he is for getting with the local legislative delegation on the appointments. Shoupe said looking at the board there is not one female on the board. Shoupe said you can not tell him there is not one female capable of serving on that board. Shoupe said some females have been named as optional appointments but have never been recommended. Shoupe said he would like to see a retired nurse who has been at ground level on the board. Shoupe said a little more diversity and change over would do the board good.


D-1 Commissioner Curtis Harvey, the longest serving commissioner other that Chairman Culver, said he has appointed females to the healthcare authority. One did not wish to serve any longer and one has passed away.


The Commission will make appointments on Monday. Those appointments will be District 1 Commissioner Curtis Harvey appointment and District 3 Commissioner Ricky Herring appointment.


Commissioner Harvey has said who his appointment will be. While Commissioner Herring stated last meeting he intends to appoint Steve Hicks, today, Commissioner Herring stated his re-appointment or appointment. So what he will do is unknown.


THE 14 PAGE DOCUMENT REFERRED TO BY D-1 COMMISSIONER


D-1 Commissioner Curtis Harvey stated then 14 page document the commissioners received about problems within Southeast Health. Commissioner Harvey said all of the commissioners, the Chief Financial Officer, Rickey Stokes and WTVY Ken Curtis had the document.


RSN printed that document with a disclaimer that RSN can not say all of the information contained is true or false. All Hospital board meetings are held in secret and no one is allowed the minutes of those meetings. In fact, even though Houston County Commissioners make 12 of the 13 board appointments, the members of the Houston County Commission are not allowed to attend the meetings of Southeast Alabama Healthcare Authority or the minutes of those meetings.


RSN printed it because there are items which need to be looked into. And unlike WTVY, we were not afraid to print the document with disclaimers that we can not say the items are true or false. But there are items which need investigation to see if true or false. WTVY is afraid of loosing advertising dollars from Southeast Health, in my opinion, and does not have the backbone to air those allegations in an attempt to get to the truth.


Since the employment of Rick Sutton as Chief Executive Officer of Southeast Health, he has had no involvement in the community. Sutton has never reached out to the management of Flowers Hospital. This community must have both healthcare facilities and while they are competitors in some ways, in some they are not.


Sutton has no community involvement. When off he goes to his beach house, Colorado house or Alaska house. He is only in Dothan-Houston County as long as 13 members of the Southeast Alabama HealthCare Authority or majority keep him here with a huge salary. Sutton’s contract is not open to public view.


When Sutton arrived in Dothan he did what was termed as “optimization”, which terminated a lot of long term workforce at Southeast Health. The process was explained to me at the time.


Sutton got offended when I asked why no vascular surgeon was available and EMS had to hold pressure on a persons neck while the patient was transported to Pensacola. The patient was reported to have been stabbed in the neck with a fork.


Sutton did not like being questioned, WHY?


While Southeast Health has some great doctors, nurses and support staff, Sutton has done all possible to force the physicians into working for the hospital rather than private practice.


A lot of questions of which the members of the Southeast Alabama Healthcare Authority will not answer nor make Sutton answer. To include the questions of one of the appointing authorities, D-3 Commissioner Ricky Herring.


CURRENT MEMBERS OF SOUTHEAST ALABAMA HEALTHCARE AUTHORITY WHO ARE TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR GOOD AND BAD OF WHAT HAPPENS AT SOUTHEAST HEALTH



CLICK TO VIEW MEMBERS


Chairman - Chester Sowell; Vice Chairman - John McDaniel; Secretary - Bob Theune, MBA; Treasurer - Bruce Wozow, DVM; President, Medical Staff - John Peacock, M.D.; Tellis Copeland; James Kelley, PHD.; Taylor Knight; Don Owens; Lance Shepard; Tony Strickland; Bernard Ward; Walter Young, M.D.


The Houston County Health Care Authority is a 13 member volunteer board that serves as the governing body for Southeast Health. Twelve of the 13 members are appointed by the Houston County Commission, the 13th member is the current president of the medical staff.




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