Lexington Regional Health Center, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
LEXINGTON — After a 3-2 vote, the Lexington Regional Health Center voted to terminate Chief Executive Officer Leslie Marsh during their meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
The move to terminate Marsh’s employment comes after an Aug. 3, 2023 meeting in which the LRCH board held a job evaluation for the CEO for the first time since 2018.
Marsh joined Tri County Hospital in 1998, serving as chief nursing officer until becoming CEO of the rebranded Lexington Regional Health Center in 2010.
During the August meeting, board members Pat Samway and Pam Trampe were in support of Marsh, giving her high marks.
Chairman Rob Anderson, Vice Chair Tucker Case and Secretary/Treasurer Kenneth Harbison praised certain aspects of Marsh’s performance, such as the new emergency room and her advocacy for the hospital.
All three men listed concerns that included IT issues that have continued to plague LRHC, including a multi-day system crash in November 2022, a lack of communication, a $200,000 expenditure for a network switch that was not included in the capital budget and the alleged failure to disclose a six-figure settlement until after the fact.
Samway at the time had said the board should receive an “F” for their lack of support for Marsh and not holding an evaluation in five years.
There was a lengthy public comment period where the majority spoke out in support of Marsh. A few expressed mixed feelings or noted issues with her leadership in the past.
The meeting had ended when Marsh’s attorney, former Lincoln County judge Kent Turnbull asked one of the board members to vote no on termination and he would work on his own time and dollar to help bridge the gap.
A motion was made for Case to coordinate with Turnbull on a mediation process, with a new evaluation of issues on the same format and reevaluation in six months.
With the six-month period passing, the board once again took up the issue of Marsh’s employment.
Anderson, Case and Harbison voted to terminate Marsh, while Samway and Trampe voted no. When asked for the reason for his vote, Anderson said he was not able to comment on personnel issues.
An interim CEO will be appointed at a special meeting in the future.
