THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 20, 1995 TAG: 9507200386
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARIE JOYCE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
After a long and sometimes loud meeting, the Chesapeake Hospital Authority announced late Wednesday night that Chief Executive Officer Donald S. Buckley would keep his job.
``Mr. Buckley's contract is not in jeopardy. His services will be continued,'' authority chairman Bradford M. Casas said after the group came out of executive session. ``The differences . . . have been ironed out.''
Neither Buckley nor Casas would state what those differences are.
There has been tension in the hospital leadership for at least three years, ever since Buckley and authority members - many of whom are no longer on the board - tried to establish a more formal arrangement between Chesapeake and Sentara Health System.
Negotiations were dropped after an outcry from community groups.
The authority last month ordered that Buckley keep them informed of any discussion on working with other health care providers to develop a satellite health center in the Western Branch area of the city.
The authority had called a special meeting for a ``performance evaluation'' of Buckley.
The meeting took place almost entirely in executive session. Buckley and the hospital's attorney, who had been asked to attend, were in the meeting room for about an hour. Then the two were asked to wait outside while the group debated for about three more hours.
The debate grew loud at times, and members could be heard shouting behind the closed door of the meeting room.
Some of the shouting apparently happened when the group was joined by Dr. David West, president of the hospital's medical staff.
The medical staff had protested action taken by authority members at their regular June 29 meeting, when, according to a petition from the doctors, several authority members tried to oust the CEO.
At that meeting, authority members voted 6-4 to change the CEO's employment contract to make it easier for the group to terminate it.
Also at the June 29 meeting, members voted that any discussion with any other ``health care providers'' about the hospital's Western Branch site must be ``brought to the attention of the board of directors immediately.''
Chesapeake General Hospital plans to build a rehabilitation and fitness center on Taylor Road in Western Branch. by CNB