CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — Amid public scrutiny about allegations of misconduct and wrongdoing, Adena Health System sent a company-wide email to all employees on Thursday purporting to be from the Board of Trustees.
In the letter, the trustees allegedly expressed their “full support” for Chief Executive Officer Jeff Graham and his leadership. Graham has recently come under fire from several members of the community about his management style.
“As Adena’s Board of Trustees, when change comes to our organization, we feel it as deeply as you. We recognize that between the restructuring announcement last week and the noise that has been appearing on social media, these can feel like uncertain times. But as it has been for more than 125 years, the future of Adena is strong,” the memo sent out on Thursday reads.
“We are confident in Adena’s position and the decisions that are made to maintain the strength necessary to fulfill our mission. We are aware of what is being said online. This misinformation is intended to be disruptive and to impact our ability to provide the critical healthcare needs of our community. But we know the facts. We stand by and support CEO Jeff Graham and our executive team. And while these are challenging times in health care, we stand behind this organization and its leadership as they navigate rough waters. And we stand behind you, the caregivers, physicians, and APPs, who continue to serve our communities.”
The letter had the names of all fifteen board members affixed to it. Two board members the Guardian spoke with on Thursday claimed they were unaware of the letter and did not authorize their name or endorse the letter. The board members said they did not want to release their names due to fears of retaliation. An Adena spokesman said that their claims are not true.
“All but one member was present at the meeting and approved. The one absent indicated approval …. I should add to that is was a unanimous vote,” the spokesman said.
Adena has recently undergone a restructuring of management services and has faced backlash on social media during a time when the organization is facing competition from other health organizations.
