Did St. Joe’s board know about former CEO’s Caribbean trip?
Questions are being raised about whether anyone at St. Joseph's Health System knew former CEO Dr. Tom Stewart was on a trip to the Caribbean over the holidays and when they found out.
If any board members knew he was going (or) knew he went and didn't do anything about it, the board member should step down," said Warren (Smokey) Thomas, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. They provide the guidance to the CEOs."
The board of St. Joseph's approved Stewart's vacation from Dec. 18 to Jan. 5. But it hasn't answered repeated questions regarding whether the board knew he was taking a family trip to his private home in the Dominican Republic.
St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton has also not answered questions about whether its board approved the vacation as well or knew its CEO was in the Caribbean when non-essential travel was to be avoided and the hospital's president Melissa Farrell was asking the public to follow the rules over the holidays.
I would hope that board of governors isn't just a rubber stamp exercise," said Thomas. They should be keeping an eye on things."
No information has also been given out about when Stewart's trip became known within the health systems and if he was ever asked or ordered to come back to Canada.
Questions are being raised about the likelihood at the height of a pandemic of no one knowing the location of the leader of a massive health organization that includes St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Niagara Health, St. Mary's General Hospital in Kitchener, St. Joseph's Health Centre in Guelph, St. Joseph's Lifecare Centre in Brantford, St. Joseph's Villa in Dundas and St. Joseph's Home Care.
In addition, Stewart would have needed to quarantine for 14 days upon his return.
Do as I say and not as a I do," said Thomas. That's the mentality ... If they want people to take it seriously, they've got to take it seriously."
The same questions are being raised about a number of boards Stewart sat on that provide pandemic advice to the province as his trip occurred right as COVID cases were surging and new restrictions were being put in place.
That's exactly the point," said Thomas. If I was the premier I'd be happy the guy is gone and I'd be questioning everybody on those tables."
Stewart resigned from all of the provincial tables within hours of the trip becoming public Jan. 5. He was ousted as CEO of Niagara Health Jan. 6 and parted ways without cause" from St. Joseph's Jan. 7.
Under his contract he will receive a payout worth as much as $1.1 million.
It's salt in the wound to watch him walk out with a $1-million golden parachute," said NDP leader Andrea Horwath. That is money that should be going right back into health care, into overtime hours for all of those folks working around the clock to try to keep people safe."
Thomas is calling on the board to take a serious look" at refusing the payment especially at a time when he says hospital leaders across the province are leaning hard" on workers to follow the rules.
If everybody who ever screwed up in the manner he did could get $1.1 million, there'd be a lot of people screwing up," said Thomas. I just think it's absolutely wrong that he would get any severance of any kind. What he did was beyond serious. You erode the trust of the community, the people who work for the hospital and the patients and you're going to get $1.1 million for doing that."
Joanna Frketich is a Hamilton-based reporter covering health for The Spectator. Reach her via email: jfrketich@thespec.com