To the residents of Southern and South Central Ohio:
It would be easy to take Adena Health System for granted, because it has been a fixture in our region for more than 125 years. But, Adena is a unique and valuable community asset in the truest sense.
Adena is not a publicly traded company beholden to shareholders and their demand for profits. Adena doesn’t report to individuals working in skyscrapers miles and miles away.
Adena is held accountable by the people next to you and me, the people you see walking around town or in the stands at your high school sports event. A group of 15 people from our community govern the strategic direction of our region’s only independent hospital system. In fact, eight of us on the board of trustees represent the churches that formed Adena in 1895.
When concerns are raised in the community about Adena, the board of trustees, on behalf of the community, reviews those matters. For more than a year, anonymous individuals on social media have made numerous claims about Adena and its business practices, which are inaccurate, at best, and false, at worst.
We take very seriously our duty to ensure that the organization fulfills its mission to serve the needs of our communities and remains strong long into the future. That sometimes requires us to ask tough questions and always involves open discussion, reflecting the healthy relationship between our board and executive management.
As a result of that process, the board is confident Adena remains on the right track. That’s saying a lot, given the challenging times in the health care industry. Rapidly rising costs and inadequate reimbursement rates are stressing hospital finances nationwide. Make no mistake: Difficult times call for difficult decisions.
Of course, not everyone agrees with those decisions, which is certainly their right. Unfortunately, some have spread untruths about Adena, its management, and even our support. Those claims are misleading and inaccurate.
We stand united with, and support, President and CEO Jeff Graham and the Adena Health System executive team. We also stand behind Adena’s caregivers, physicians, and APPs who make a difference in the lives of people every day. Adena continues to provide nationally recognized health care, because of their – and our -- unwavering commitment and accountability to the nine counties that we all call home.
Sincerely,
Adena Health System Board of Trustees
Jennifer McKell – Chair, representative from Walnut Street UMC
Steve Hirsch – Vice Chair, at large
Carvel Simmons – Secretary, at large
Bob French – Treasurer, representative from St. Peter’s Catholic Church
Ron Coffey, representative at large for Adena Greenfield Medical Center
Anthony Fish, representative at large for Adena Pike Medical Center
Anthony Freeman, DO, medical staff representative
Sheilah Gray, DDS, representative from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
Bart Henshaw, representative from First Presbyterian Church
Emily Johnson, MD, medical staff representative
Jerry Phillips, representative from Tabernacle Baptist Church
Brian Ream, representative at large for Adena Fayette Medical Center
Kevin Shoemaker, representative from Orchard Hill United Church of Christ
Joseph Watson - Past Chair, representative from Trinity United Methodist Church
Beth Workman, representative from St. Mary’s Catholic Church