By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Hays Medical Center has been facing financial difficulty.
According to a report on the American Hospital Directory, HaysMed had an annual loss of $5.6 million as of June 2023.
Although the hospital has cut back staff and relied on traveling nurses to deal with its financial issues, its current and former leadership earned more than $2 million in 2022, according to its 990 forms filed with the IRS.
Eddie Herrman, CEO, earned $726,311 in 2022, according to the 990 form.
His contract was recently renewed by the board.
Former HaysMed urologist Wallace Michael Curry took to social media to sharply criticize the hospital's leadership following the contract renewal.
Brain Lang reportedly resigned from the HaysMed board in the wake of the renewal. However, the Hays Post reached out to Lang to confirm his resignation and inquire about his reasons for departing the board, but he did not return phone calls.
The Hays Post also submitted written questions to HaysMed about Lang's reported departure and a list of other concerns Curry addressed, including the hospital's financial health and staffing issues.
HaysMed has not returned any answers to those questions as of the posting of this story.
Wallace is not the only recent doctor to leave HaysMed. Longtime OBGYNs Drs. Lee Hodny and Joel Fort, and Dr. Anthony Acursso, oncologist, also have closed their practices.
Former longtime nurse Carol Groen, who retired in 2021 after 46 years, said the culture at the hospital is not good. She attributes this to the hospital's leadership.
Groen said she loved her job and the people she worked with.
However, she said some of the revelations coming out in the last two days on social media about the hospital have been "shocking."
Groen, who worked in accreditation, said the administration edited her reports to the board.
"There were times I had to take stuff out because that admin team only tells the board what they want the board to know," she said. "You can't always blame the board because they may not always know. But with what is happening now, they have to know what's going on."
"I think they keep things from them because the admin team wants to paint a picture that everything is going OK," she said.
"When I was there, several of us talked about it on a pretty regular basis: until they change that top administrative team, they are going to continue to have problems," Groen said.
Groen, as well as other medical staff who did not want to be named for fear of retaliation, said the hospital has a high turnover in its nursing staff.
She said that even in 2021, nurses were bullied by the administration.
"I felt when I worked there that I couldn't say anything," she said. "I needed my job. My kids were growing up, and my husband and I didn't want to leave this community."
At least three other members of the medical staff, who did not want their names used, said they had quit HaysMed because of issues with management and lack of raises.
Two moved out of state, but said they wanted to move back to be closer to family. A third said he was commuting hours to another community to work.
The hospital is using traveling nurses, which Groen said is not ideal.
"They have agency nurses in charge of floors, people who come in who live miles away from here that don't know our population, that don't know our patients, that don't know our processes."
Groen said she is concerned about the quality of patient care in light of the layoffs and turnover.
A nurse currently employed at the hospital who did not wish to have her name published for fear of retaliation said she also has concerns about patient care.
"You can talk to any nurse or CNA. They say they are all about patient care, but if they were, they would staff the hospital properly," she said, "and they would stop cutting nurses, turning away nurses, and hiring travels."
Hays Post asked HaysMed about the number of layoffs that had occurred at the hospital, but that was part of the questions that have yet to be returned.
A litany of people described instances on social media and contacted the Hays Post directly, alleging issues with their care at HaysMed in the last several years. These ranged from an incorrectly applied cast to death.
The HaysPost hopes to address these concerns in a later story.
Groen said she wants to see the hospital improve for the sake of her family and the community.
"I want Hays Medical Center to step up and make the changes. We deserve that in the community. Because if that place goes under, this town is in bad shape."
Editor's note: This is an emerging story. Please watch the Hays Post for more information as it becomes available. Thank you to all who reached out to the Hays Post. We are still trying to return calls and messages.