Mon Health System President and CEO Darryl Duncan announced his resignation Monday, The Dominion Post learned Thursday in response to an emailed inquiry on Duncan’s status.
The inquiry followed Mon Health’s Wednesday announcement that Dottie Oakes, Mon Health Medical Center interim chief operating officer, who was also serving as interim replacement for Duncan, resigned that day.
Duncan had been on leave of absence since early February.
In Thursday’s Mon Health release, Duncan explained: “After taking some time to reflect on our situation and what is best for the organization, I have decided to resign as president and CEO of Mon Health.
“During my 12 years, we have consistently been nationally recognized for patient satisfaction, patient safety, clinical quality and financial stability,” he said.
“I’m proud of the record we have here but most of all proud of the caregivers who do such a great job every day. This organization is well positioned for continued success. We’ve made friends for a lifetime and wish them all the best.”
Mon Health Board vice chair Ronald Stovash said, “We thank Darryl for his years of service and wish him luck in his future endeavors. We agree that Mon Health is well positioned for continued success and have begun the search for a new CEO.”
Oakes, who was named the hospital’s COO in November, was tapped in February to serve as Duncan’s interim replacement. The Dominion Post reported at the time that 28 physicians signed a letter Jan. 19 stating Duncan’s leadership style eroded employee morale and led to several high-profile resignations.
The Dominion Post sent a number of other questions to Mon Health on Wednesday and received some replies Thursday.
Mon Health said on Thursday that a search is under way for a new CEO and is expected to be completed by September.
The hospital did not elaborate on the make-up of the leadership team running the organization during the interim, except to say it is composed of Mon Health Medical Center executives. “They oversee the day-to-day operations to serve the needs of our patients.”
The hospital also addressed several rumors that circulated since Duncan’s leave of absence was announced.
One of those was that a possible takeover by UPMC in Pittsburgh was being considered.
On that, Mon Health said, “We have not and do not plan to become part of another health system. To the contrary, we continue to expand and concentrate on our core strengths to meet the health care needs of our communities. Our board is committed to maintaining Mon Health’s independence as a community hospital and health system.”
The hospital also addressed rumors of poor morale and short staffing, allegedly leading to transfers to other facilities.
“An outstanding team of physicians, nurses and other clinicians delivers the same level of excellent care Mon Health has provided for many decades,” it said.
“On occasion, we will engage other health care systems in instances where patients require certain types of tertiary care that we do not provide, such as neurosurgery or very premature deliveries.
Our team continues to care for our patients who don’t need these types of services.
“Change often leads to uncertainty and speculation,” it said. “However, rest assured that we are committed to continued support of our medical staff, employees and communities. We know our thousands of employees and medical staff are what truly set us apart.”
