May 12, 2023 |
Photo – CEO of MHCC Ken Harmon – Bigfoot99 file photo
The CEO of Memorial Hospital of Carbon County, Ken Harmon, announced yesterday that he will step down from the position by the end of May. Harmon cited the stress of the job and the desire to attend to family obligations for leaving the position.
Stephanie Hinkle, the hospital’s communications director, released a statement Thursday on MHCC’s social media account. In the release, Hinkle said Ken Harmon is resigning, effective May 25th.
Harmon specified in the release that his departure was caused by “mounting stress and pressure over the past several months.”
In the statement, Harman is quoted as saying, “For the sake of my family, I have decided to pursue other opportunities. My leaving is in no way a reflection on my belief that MHCC will persevere and succeed as an organization.” Harman expressed his faith that the hospital will have a successful future.
Harman, who has over 30 years of experience in the healthcare field, became CEO on December 16th of 2019.
Harman made no secret of the fact that the hospital has struggled financially since the onset of COVID-19.
Before his decision to resign, Harman instituted a series of programs to increase the hospital’s revenue stream. Patients are now required to pay for procedures up front, or arrange a payment plan, before medical treatment is administered. Addressing the Board of Carbon County Commissioners in early March, Harman said patients owed the hospital over $16 million in unpaid medical bills.
Harman presented a dire outlook on the financial viability of the hospital. In an interview with Bigfoot99 in March, the CEO said the hospital needed a substantial change in the way it handled billing.
In Hinkle’s news release announcing Harmon’s decision, the Memorial Hospital of Carbon County Board of Trustees thanked Harman for his hard work and dedication to, not just the hospital, but the county as a whole.
The hospital’s Board of Trustees Chairman Rod Waeckerlin is quoted, saying, “Rural hospitals across the country are facing unprecedented challenges and MHCC is not excluded. We will continue to work diligently for the good of Carbon County residents and look for new opportunities to ensure operations are sustainable and moving in a positive direction.”
Hospital trustees are working with Quorum Health Services to find an interim CEO before Harman departs. Quorum Health is an organization that runs more than 17 hospitals across 13 states, including the Evanston Regional Hospital.
