Marshall County Hospital has been a publicly operated hospital since its opening in 1964.
Photo courtesy of Marshall County Hospital
BENTON, Ky. — During a special called meeting of the Marshall County Hospital Board on Jan. 7, the board voted to table any discussion related to the request for proposals discussed in the Jan. 6 meeting.
The Jan. 7 special called meeting was initially called for the purpose of a presentation from Deaconess Health System and the acceptance and ratification of the contract for newly selected CEO Steven Luther.
The presentation from Deaconess was held in executive session, though the board vote to enter executive session was split, three in favor and two against. Board chair Lauren Mann and board secretary Jerry Sells both voted no, while board treasurer Peyton Porter and board members Heather Davis and Randall Scott voted yes.
Following the return to open session the board unanimously accepted and ratified Luther’s contract.
Mann asked to move into adjournment, at which time Porter stated he had an additional item that was not on the agenda. Despite Mann repeatedly stating that the board was going to “stick with the agenda,” Porter made a lengthy statement before making a motion to table the RFP discussion.
“I want to make one thing clear, since there has been a great sense of distortion on social media,” said Porter. “We, the Marshall County Hospital Board of Directors do have — do not have Marshall County Hospital for sale. Marshall County Board of Directors were approached by numerous parties at the time in which our current CEO, David Fuqua, announced his retirement, interested in partnering with Marshall County Hospital at that point in time. While Marshall County Hospital was not for sale and is not for sale, Marshall County Hospital Board of Directors do feel, and have felt, that we have a civil duty to hear out their interest — or to hear the interested parties out. Within the period of due diligence, we, Marshall County Hospital Board of Directors, completed an intense and extensive interview process, where we feel that we have hired an excellent CEO to lead Marshall County Hospital in the best direction as we continue moving forward. So, based on the hiring of Steven Luther as CEO of Marshall County Hospital, and the excitement in which myself and many other board members do have, I am making a motion that we do table any further discussions pertaining to the RFP in totality.”
The Marshall County Hospital Board held a special meeting to hear a presentation from Deaconess Health System.
Grace Boatright Jachim
The motion was passed unanimously, leaving any future conversations regarding the discussed RFP unknown.
Following the meeting, Mann noted that Porter’s motion was not on the agenda and that she was not aware that he intended to make that statement or motion.
“No, I was not expecting that to happen,” said Mann. “I’m glad that did happen, because the majority of the board did want to pursue looking into an RFP, and that is no longer the case.”
As for the future of the hospital or a potential discussion of an RFP, Mann said it remains unknown.
“I don’t know what the future holds,” said Mann. “I really do not have an answer to that, and I don’t know what the time line of it being tabled is. I don’t know if it’s one month. I don’t know if it’s, for the person who- the rest of their time on the board. I do not know.”
As of the close of the meeting, the hospital remains under the control of Marshall County through the board. The hospital also issued a press release formally announcing Luther’s hiring.
The release credits Luther with 10 years of healthcare experience in overseeing hospital operations and medical group services, in addition to a number of ways he has remained involved in the community.
“I am honored to step into the role as Chief Executive Officer and to serve Marshall County Hospital,” Luther stated in the release. “The hospital exists because of its people—those who provide care, those who support it, and the community that relies on it every day. I’m grateful for the opportunity to work alongside a dedicated team and to uphold the values of service, trust, and compassion that define this organization.”
Luther will officially assume the role on April 1. The board’s next regularly scheduled meeting is set for Feb. 3 at noon.