VMC Board of Commissioners400 S. 43rd StreetRenton, WA 98055Dear
Commissioners:
The Medical Executive Committee, representing the independent
Medical Staff of ValleyMedical Center, met last week in Executive
Session with invited members of the medical staff todiscuss
concerns arising out of conduct several Medical Staff leaders
observed in recent Boardof Commissioner meetings.First and
foremost, we would like to express our unanimous support of the
expansion ofEmergency Department services in Covington,
specifically in the development of a Stand AloneEmergency
Department to serve the growing community in that region. Further,
we would liketo express our confidence in the administrative
leaders of Valley Medical Center. We believethat our patients,
community and constituents benefit greatly from their expertise and
dedicationto providing high quality medicine in a safe environment
and we appreciate all that theAdministration of Valley Medical
Center does to support the clinical activities of the
MedicalStaff.We also appreciate the time and effort invested by the
Board of Commissioners in overseeingValley Medical Center's systems
and processes. That stated, we have a number of concernsthat we
hope you will be able to address.A number of MEC members and
several other physicians on VMC's Medical Staff attended theMarch
15th Board Meeting. Many of these physicians attended the meeting
to voice theirsupport of construction of the proposed Stand Alone
Emergency Department (SAED) inCovington. After listening to the
physicians' comments and the thorough presentation by Mr.Mike
Glenn, it was baffling to see Commissioner Anthony Hemstead argue
for the SAED to bebuilt in Kent. More stunning was Mr. Hemstead's
stance that he required more data and time toanalyze the issue. As
the other Commissioners commented, the topic had been discussed
forover a year and Mr. Hemstead has had multiple opportunities to
educate himself and performhis due diligence. Mr. Hemstead's
actions bring into question whether he adequately prepareshimself
to fulfill his duties as a Commissioner.Mr. Hemstead also wrote a
letter to the Covington Reporter, expressing his personal views
onthe SAED issue. By doing so, it appears to us that he has
violated the Commissioner Code ofEthics and misrepresented what
transpired during the fact-finding and decision-makingprocesses. We
believe that Mr. Hemstead's letter was both inflammatory and not in
the bestinterests of the Board or Valley Medical Center.From our
perspective, Mr. Hemstead has been an obstructionist from the start
of his term on theBoard. His behavior has resulted in the MEC
losing all confidence in his ability to function as acommissioner
for Valley Medical Center. Should the conduct of Commissioner
Hemstead fail toimprove, the MEC will consider submitting to the
Medical Staff a resolution expressing its lack ofconfidence in
him.
