Hospital president/CEO resigns

By the Telegram Staff
Monday, Dec 01, 2008 - 12:24:42 pm CST

COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Community Hospital Board of Directors announced today that Claude Chatterton has resigned as president and CEO effective immediately, according to a press release issued from the hospital.

The hospital release gave no reason for Chatterton’s resignation. Bill Luke, of Kearney, has been named interim president and CEO.

Rich Anderson, of the hospital board of directors, declined to comment on Chatterton’s sudden resignation when contacted late this morning by The Telegram.

Chatterton was named president and CEO effective Dec. 4, 2006. He spent the previous 10 years as the president and CEO of the Harrisburg (Ill.) Medical Center.

Luke began his hospital career with Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, where he held the positions of vice president and chief financial officer. He also served as interim and acting CEO during vacancies at Good Samaritan.

Luke stated in the release, “I look forward to working with the hospital employees and the community’s physicians to continue the excellent health care services provided by Columbus Community Hospital for the citizens of Columbus and the surrounding area.”

Since 2005, Luke has served interim executive roles in health care in Colorado, Kentucky and Nebraska.

“Bill brings a wealth of experience to lead Columbus Community Hospital during this time of transition,” said CCH Board Chairman John McClure.

Mr. Luke will serve as interim president and CEO until a new, permanent president/CEO is selected. The search for the new chief executive could take up to one year.

In 2006, Chatterton replaced Gary Pulsipher, who assumed his duties here in November 2002 and accepted a similar position at Silverton Hospital in Silverton, Ore. Pulsipher left Columbus in July 2006.

Chatterton also held the administrator position at hospitals in Michigan, Minnesota and South Dakota.

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Right on
Dec 1, 2008 1:06 PM
Hey, isn't this the guy, who you all sold out some of the best Columbus-grown talent that helped create and build up the Foundation and made it what is is today, in order to protect???

Good job!!!
Mike Fallesen
Dec 1, 2008 2:52 PM
JUSTICE!
Dear CCH brain-trust
Dec 1, 2008 4:16 PM
What a farce....you shun a member of the community who grew up there, had a great family there, did great things for The Foundation and raised unprecedented amounts of money for the hospital by letting him go in order to appease someone who seems to be leaving on ignominious terms AT BEST.

Bravo.
City Resident
Dec 1, 2008 4:26 PM
Why is it taboo to mention that there is something not right with the management at CCH?
John Cash
Dec 1, 2008 4:36 PM
"In rivers and bad government, the lightest things eventually float to the top."
- The Farmer's Almanac
Lakeman
Dec 1, 2008 5:00 PM
I would hope that the Columbus Hospital Board would be open and honest with the public about the resignation of the former CEO. The public deserves better than "no comment" especially regarding Mr. Chattertons past performance at the hospital.
rob g
Dec 1, 2008 5:41 PM
Obviously there is more to this story. I think we can assume that he got into some kind of trouble that is still being investigated, or swept under the rug, according to your point of view! If it was just due to a family sickness or something innoscent, I do not think the Telegram would make it the lead story!
Viking
Dec 1, 2008 8:23 PM
Do you think they would accept "no comment" at bill time?
Does It Matter
Dec 1, 2008 8:56 PM
The Board got pinched. This was their hire, their guy. They sacrificed an excellent Foundation Director and many other great employees to protect this guy, I am not shocked a bit that the Board has no comment. It is hard to explain stupidity. This ones on the Board and the Senior Management at CCH. It time we demand answers. Lets hope the Telegram presses the issue and make it matter.
And so it goes...
Dec 1, 2008 9:11 PM
$11,000 city photos during an economic crisis, ridiculous city adminstrator raises to walk around and eat popcorn, a by-pass that was constructed close enough for people to come into town (even though a bypass is called a bypass because people want to BYPASS the town. Oh, and it has stoplights.), and now, the person who was favored at the expense of a true community-minded family man leaves without comment.

Are you all TRYING to turn the town into a laughing stock? You are ALL COMPLETELY INCOMPETENT FOOLS.
River Ratt
Dec 1, 2008 10:03 PM
Can the board of directors of CCH get any dumber??? It is sad their stupidity is tearing apart the hospital. For the good of CCH the board must go.
Just goes to show...
Dec 2, 2008 11:01 AM
Amazing, really, that the board of the hospital and the foundation are the elite of Columbus, yet none of them seem to have a clue. You'd think they'd be able to understand principles like loyalty, community, and the "right thing to do."

Just because you have all the money in Columbus doesn't mean you know what you're doing. This is becoming painfully more and more obvious by the day.
Smells fishy to me
Dec 2, 2008 12:16 PM
By the "elite" in Columbus do you mean the richest? That is not any measure of a person, in fact it should be the last thing you would measure a person by because far too often that is what does the talking (state and federal government are good examples).

Sounds like it probably is, or is going to stink to high heaven, once everything comes out.

Sounds like there are alot of people on boards and the council that need to be changed out. Get busy folks, if I still lived there I would be up and at it.
Doug
Dec 2, 2008 5:26 PM
Ahhh.. how I remember Don Zornes. There will never be another like him. Those shoes were hard to fill, for sure.

And why do so many of you clueless ones equate CCH with Columbus' management? They are apart and seperate. Completely.
Hey Doug
Dec 3, 2008 8:46 AM
"And why do so many of you clueless ones equate CCH with Columbus' management? They are apart and seperate. Completely."

As an old professor used to say, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, chances are...it's probably a duck.

If it adopts policies that laugh in the face of common sense, shortchanges community members in the interest of business, chanes are....it's a completely incompetent nody of governance.

Might want to look in the clueless mirror, yourself, there Dig-Doug.

Man, Dig-Dug, what a great video game. Where has the time gone?
To Doug
Dec 3, 2008 10:13 AM
Hey Doug,

These problems with CCH are just as much the fault of an old ineffective senior management team. They do not want to work, thier just running the clock so they can retire. If they do not like a process or a program they block its implementation with the help of the board. This has been going on ever since D.Z. retired. I am not defending Claude he had his issues but senior management is a much to blame for this as any one.
old employee
Dec 3, 2008 8:16 PM
To Doug:

P.S. this was going on before DZ retired, the man was not a saint. This is chocking up to the same o same o.
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