The McDonough District Hospital (MDH) Board of Directors, at a special meeting Thursday evening, voted to allow Board Chair Dan O'Neill to work with the firm, Howard & Howard, to finalize a separation agreement with outgoing CEO Bill Murdock.
At the May 18 Board meeting, members voted to part ways with Murdock in 60 days, and immediately terminated the employment of Chief Nursing Officer Wayne Laramie.
A few days later at a special Administrative Committee meeting, members recommended moving forward with a separation agreement for Murdock; conducting a regional search for the CEO; and forming a seven-person search committee.
The MDH Board of Directors was set to approve each recommendation at its May 28 meeting; however, a vote was not taken on these matters upon returning from the closed session.
At the start of the May 28 meeting, the Board voted to enter into a closed session to discuss the agreement, with Board Member Jere Greuel casting the lone 'no' vote to move into closed session. Following the adjournment of the meeting and closed session, which lasted close to 1.5 hours, O'Neill told The Community News Brief that he will be working with the law firm on the agreement, and that an interim CEO will be voted upon by the Board 'in the near future.'
