BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — Leaders in Blount County wrote a letter for the Blount Memorial Hospital board of directors on June 13 to address concerns about how they were choosing their new CEO.
Clint Abbott, the Mayor of Alcoa, signed the letter along with Ed Mitchell, the Mayor of Blount County. Andy White, the Mayor of Maryville, also signed the letter. It said that they felt the process to choose a new CEO did not strictly follow state law and hospital policies.
They said they heard from several citizens, businesses and some legislative bodies who were concerned about the selection process. The concerns were centered around whether there was a public notice given for the special meeting to choose a new leader, and whether the board follow its own by-laws.
In the letter, they said that the hospital's policies for finding a new CEO included calling a special session to review the selection process, discuss important CEO skills and experience, and to discuss their compensation. The hospital would have needed to notify the public about that meeting.
The board also needed to decide whether the current CEO should continue serving while they looked for a new one. They also needed to choose a selection committee, define the scope of its activities, and set a timeframe for the selection process.
However, the mayors said their copy of the hospital's by-laws was from 2020 and could have been updated between then and now. They also asked the hospital's board of directors to notify them if they can show they followed the selection process.
In the letter, the mayors said they felt the board of directors did not adequately notify people about the special meeting to find a new CEO.
"Blount Memorial Hospital is one of the top employers in Blount County," they said in the letter. "As a premier health care provider for Blount County and surrounding areas, the community has a valid interest and investment in the organization's success and processes. As Mayors of our respective governments, who want to see our hospital continue to be a valuable asset to our community as it has been for 75 years, we also have a vested interest in the reputation and integrity of the hospital."
The mayors asked the hospital's board of directors to respond by June 20 and asked that "full consideration be given to the review of this process with full transparency."
According to the letter, Don Heinemann previously announced that he would retire as CEO. Information about when specifically he would leave the position was not immediately available.
Blount Memorial responded to the letter and clarified that they did interview several potential in-house candidates, as required by the substantive provision contained in the Bylaws for the selection of a new CEO.
Dr. Harold Naramore, the new CEO and previous Chief Medical Officer, was endorsed by multiple members of senior management due to his familiarity with Blount Memorial, according to the response.
The Executive Committee determined that Naramore was the best candidate and made this recommendation to the Board of Directors. Since the Executive Committee's "comfort level" with Naramore becoming the CEO was high, "external candidates were not solicited or considered nor was a search firm engaged."
An open meeting of the Board of Directors was held on June 9. A notice of that meeting was sent to The Daily Times for publication, but for an unknown reason, the notice was not published, according to Blount Memorial.
Blount Memorial announced that since the public notice was not published, the board will vote at its meeting on Tuesday, June 28 to re-affirm the selection of Naramore as the CEO.