Steve Carty resigns from MCH

SUPERIOR – Last week, staff members at the Mineral Community Hospital received word that effective October 4, Steve Carty had resigned as Chief Executive Officer of MCH and the Mineral Regional Health Center.

At present, no official reason has been given for Carty’s resignation. According to Debra Green, business operations manager of MCH and official spokesperson for this issue, the hospital staff plans to focus on the positive and will continue on with their mission.

“[We want to] keep going down the path of putting our patients, quality health and those things at the forefront of what we’re doing,” said Green. “We need to build the trust back in our community and keep moving forward.”

The staff of MCH does not seem to know much about Carty’s resignation, beyond that it happened. According to Green, the specifics are being kept confidential for now.

“He resigned, and that’s the information we’re able to give,” said Green.

The MCH board of directors is currently looking for an interim CEO to fill in until someone can be found to fill the position full-time.

Green said the search is not closed to hospital staff or medical personnel and anyone in the public, with the qualifications, is welcome to apply.

“[The Board] is looking at anyone that has the capability and expertise to do the CEO position,” said Green.

According to Green, the Board of Directors hopes to find an interim CEO quickly. Until one is found the hospital’s executive team, led by Green, will make sure the hospital continues to run and provide quality health care to Mineral County residents.

“The team of executives are a strong team and we’re just going down the trail of what we need to do to keep patient care going,” said Green. “We’re just moving on.”

Earlier this year, Carty was placed on administrative leave over the handling of a $10.5 million Innovation Grant that caused MCH leadership to be questioned. With claims of grant money being used to buy luxury cars and pay personnel salaries among other charges “not permissible under” the grant’s terms, an investigation was instigated and a report filed.

The report stated that they were running two sets of books regarding the grant fund. According to the report, the Office of Accounting and Grants Management made “multiple” attempts to contact the hospital and clinic to get explanations of suspicious charges that were made to the innovation budget and raised concern.