Mount Carmel fires 23 employees, two execs leaving
JoAnne Viviano The Columbus Dispatch @JoAnneViviano Lucas Sullivan The Columbus Dispatch @DispatchSullyMike Wagner The Columbus Dispatch @MikeWagner48
Jul 11, 2019 at 12:46 PM Jul 12, 2019 at 7:13 AM
Two top executives will leave their posts at Mount Carmel Health System and 23 employees are being fired in an investigation into a physician accused of ordering excessive and potentially fatal doses of painkillers for ICU patients.
President and CEO Ed Lamb said in a statement Thursday that he will resign July 25 and that Dr. Richard Streck, executive vice president and chief clinical officer, will retire at the end of September.
>>Read more: A timeline on the William Husel case
The 23 employees losing their jobs include five members of physician, nursing and pharmacy management teams, Lamb said.
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The announcement comes about six months after Mount Carmel first revealed findings of an investigation into Dr. William Husel.
Mount Carmel has said the investigation eventually showed that Husel ordered 35 seriously ill intensive-care patients high doses of painkillers over about four years at the former Mount Carmel West hospital in Franklinton and Mount Carmel St. Ann's hospital in Westerville.
The 43-year-old Husel, of Liberty Township near Dublin, was fired in December, and last month, he was charged in Franklin County Common Pleas Court with 25 counts of murder. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyer has said the physician was providing comfort care to end-of-life patients and did not intend to kill anyone.
Lamb said his resignation comes as he is "personally compelled to do all that I can to move Mount Carmel beyond this tragedy."
"These last months have been difficult for our healthcare system, and, in times such as these, new leadership has the ability to facilitate healing and help restore the trust of the community," he said. "... This was a difficult decision, but one that is in the best interest of our organization, our colleagues and the people we serve."
He said Michigan-based Trinity Health, the Catholic Health system of which Mount Carmel is a part, will soon appoint an interim CEO and that he will work to ensure a smooth transition.
>>Read more: Here are the victims in the Mount Carmel criminal case
Along with the 23 employees losing their jobs, Lamb said one employee remains on administrative leave. Eleven others currently on leave will be afforded the opportunity to return after completing training and education.
The health system has completed its investigation into Husel patients, Lamb said, and made the employee decisions based on the roles they played in medication administration or oversight.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said the actions taken by Mount Carmel are welcome to begin the early stages of accountability.
"The Mount Carmel system is an important part of the central Ohio community, and these actions will help stabilize it so the medical teams — and the patients who rely on them — can look to the future," Yost said.
Columbus Attorney David Shroyer, who is representing family members of Husel's patients in four wrongful death suits, said the hospital's decision to fire staff members is an admission they failed those who died under the doctor's care.
"It says to me they are recognizing there was a systematic failure in prevention and protecting patients against a rogue physician," Shroyer said. "The question I have is 'What took so long?' They have known for over eight months."
Shroyer also said the personnel moves still don't answer the most important questions families have for the hospital.
"One of the things the families want to know is how did this happen and what really went wrong and how we can ensure this doesn't happen in the future," Shroyer said. "And firing a few people doesn't answer those questions."
Anne Valentine, a partner at the Leeseberg and Valentine firm representing the families of several Husel patients, said Mount Carmel is taking action but not being transparent.
"No one is surprised that this happened," she said. "And when people fail to do their jobs it's indicative of the flaws in your system, but they have not been forthcoming with any information about those failures beyond what they have said at the beginning."
Valentine said Mount Carmel has not answered questions asked by her firm and has refused to respond to motions for evidence in civil cases.
"It's frustrating as an attorney, so you can imagine what this has been like for the families of these victims," she said.
Mount Carmel has previously said that 48 pharmacists and nurses had been reported to licensing boards, including 30 who were still with the health system.
The State of Ohio Board of Nursing has issued notices to 25 nurses, saying they could lose their licenses for their roles in the care of Husel patients. A spokeswoman said nine have scheduled hearings.
The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy has taken no public action.
The State Medical Board of Ohio has suspended Husel's license and he faces an October hearing.
Lamb said the health system has implemented many changes and will continue to work to strengthen its culture of safety and reinforce that employees "have a right to speak up about safety concerns and are expected to do so."
"I am certain Mount Carmel will continue to learn from these events and grow in the future, guided by our highest priority: providing safe, high-quality, people-centered care," he said.
In a message to leaders, Trinity Health President and CEO Mike Slubowski said he appreciates Lamb's commitment to the system's mission and the people it serves.
"He advanced Mount Carmel's ambulatory and medical group strategy. He led improvements in colleague engagement and the expansion of our hospital network, and he strengthened our population health and community health and well-being programs throughout the region," Slubowski said.
The painkiller deaths are not the only issue faced by Lamb in recent months.
On May 31, the Ohio Department of Health ordered Mount Carmel to take immediate action to contain a Legionnaires' disease outbreak at its Grove City hospital, which had opened about a month earlier.
At least 16 people, including one woman who died, were diagnosed with the bacteria-caused pneumonia.
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