Two Members Named to RMC Board

The council for the Washington Parish Government made two recommendations to fill vacated seats on the Riverside Medical Center Board of Directors. At a special meeting held Monday, the council recommended and approved Barry Kennedy and Brent King to serve on the RMC board.

Kennedy and King will fill seats vacated by former board president Mike Cassidy and Walt Sylvest. The two recently resigned along with RMC attorney Richard Watts after faithfully serving RMC for many years.

At Monday's Parish Council meeting, Parish President Richard Thomas and Councilman Mike Fussell made it clear what the Council could and could not do in regards to RMC board members. Both said the Council has legal rights to make appointments and remove board members. Board members may be removed for "just cause", however, Parish Government attorney Wayne Kuhn stated that there is no specific definition for "just cause".

Councilmen Aubrey Posey encouraged the RMC board to allow the new members to become familiar with what's going on at RMC before any major decisions are made.

The RMC Board of Directors have the task of hiring a new CEO after the removal of former administrator Calvin Green. The appointment of the next CEO is arguably the most important move the board has made in many years and is crucial to the future success of the hospital.

A special board meeting will be held today (Tuesday) at 4 PM in the RMC cafeteria. The meeting is open to the public.

Cassidy Resigns from RMC Board

Riverside Medical Center Board Chairman Mike Cassidy submitted his resignation letter at the July 1 meeting. Cassidy faithfully served on the board for over 16 years and RMC made tremendous progress during that time. A replacement will be named at a later date by the Parish Government. He is to be commended for his dedication and commitment to Riverside Medical Center and the citizens it serves.