Former South County Hospital CEO addresses the currrent crisis

Public relations tactics and lawsuits no substitute for discussions and negotiations

By Lou Giancola, Retired Chief Executive Officer, South County Hosptial in Save South County Hospital

I had the privilege of serving as the President and CEO of South County Health and Hospital for eighteen years. It was the most rewarding assignment of my over 50 years working in healthcare. What made it so rewarding was the strong support of the people of South County and the devotion of the staff to our patients, to one another, and to the community.

South County Hospital is unique because it is – and always has been – truly of, by, and for the community it serves. In addition to providing high-quality inpatient care, we were always actively involved in what happened outside the hospital walls – from ensuring access to outpatient services to tackling critical social determinants of health that can shape the quality and length of people’s lives.

Over the past year, I have been made aware of concerns of patients and staff regarding the functioning of the Hospital. While I do not intend to address specific concerns, I am especially disturbed by the response from the Hospital’s Board and management, which has been contrary to the Hospital’s mission and values and has engendered considerable distrust.

Rather than engaging in meaningful dialog, the Hospital has mounted a public relations campaign ignoring community concerns and has now scheduled a closed Annual Meeting. (Previously, the Annual Meeting has been open to all interested parties.)

Rather than sharing information, the Hospital Board has refused reasonable requests for documents such as Bylaws and Corporate membership lists. Hospital leadership has gone so far as to engage lawyers to dispute the right of community members to access information.

The South County community has asked for transparency and the Hospital has responded by becoming less transparent–sharing only information that supports its argument that everything is under control. This approach has fostered suspicion and fueled the perception that the Hospital is circling the wagons to hold the community at bay.

Until now, I chose to voice my opinions about the Hospital privately, in hopes that the efforts of others would result in an open and honest dialog among the Board, senior leadership and concerned members of the South County community. Unfortunately, this has not occurred. I now feel compelled to lend my voice to those seeking change in the governance and management of the Hospital.

No one disputes that South County Health – like most hospitals in Rhode Island – faces significant financial challenges. The issue is how best to address those challenges and how the Hospital’s Board and leadership should engage the community in doing so.

Everyone wants South County Hospital to not just survive, but to thrive. I believe we can ensure that the Hospital can continue serving the community, consistent with its core values, if the following actions are taken:

• First and foremost, the current Board should welcome any Trustees elected at the Special Members’ Meeting scheduled for April 3, 2025, at 6 p.m., at South Kingstown High School. This action would begin to heal the rift that now exists within the community.
• The Board must share hospital financial performance information with the community on a regular basis.
• The Board must share the Hospital’s current strategic plan and goals with the community.
• The Board must provide the community with regular updates on progress toward those goals.

It is time to change the Hospital’s approach and sustain the support of the people of South County, who birthed it and have nurtured it for over one hundred years.