|
On Wednesday, November 15, 2006, Spokane Regional Health Board members voted unanimously to terminate the contract of Spokane's health officer, Dr. Kim Thorburn, without cause and without complaint about Thorburn's professional credentials or public health performance. The reason for termination, as reported in several recent articles published in The Spokesman-Review, was "unspecified administrative issues and ongoing communication problems" between Thorburn and the Board.
Dr. Ed Gray, health officer for the Northeast Tri-County Health District, has agreed to advise the local health district temporarily, but finding a replacement for Dr. Thorburn might be more difficult than Spokane Regional Health District board members anticipate. According to Dr. Gray, Thorburn's lingering no-confidence vote from the Board, her protracted evaluation process and her abrupt dismissal could make others leery of stepping in to fill the position permanently.
Washington state law requires health districts to employ a health officer; however, that person doesn't necessarily have to be the lead administrator, too, like Thorburn was. So, Spokane Health Board members could decide to do away with the position of a medical officer who also serves as chief administrator and instead opt to separate those functions as many other agencies do. If that ends up being the case, then the Board will have two vacancies to fill.
We would like to know how you feel about the Board's decision to terminate Dr. Thorburn's contract. We'd also like to know whether you think they should look for one replacement to serve as both medical officer and chief administrator or separate the functions and search to fill two positions: one for a medical officer and one for a chief administrator.
To give us your perspective on the matter, either take our poll or send us your comments. We'll publish your comments here on our Hot Topics page.
From the Editor
Editor@Spokane.net
|
Poll Results ...
Question:
"Do you agree with the Spokane Regional Health Board's recent decision to not renew Dr. Kim Thorburn's contract as health officer?"
Results:
Yes -- 7.1%
No -- 71.4%
Undecided -- 7.1%
Didn't know about it -- 14.3%
Send us your comments ...
We’d like to know what you have to say about this week’s Hot Topic. Send your comments to Editor@Spokane.net, and we will post them here. Be sure to include the topic title in the reference line of your email.
If you have suggestions for topics you would like to see discussed in Hot Topics, email us.
|