Following a review of evaluations of Chief Executive Officer Leslie Marsh, the Lexington Regional Health Center Board of Directors voted 3 to 2 to separate her employment. The action came during the Board’s regular meeting Tuesday evening that was moved to the Physical Therapy building in anticipation of a larger crowd. It was standing room only in the room with others standing outside in the hallway. Some board members cited little progress in Marsh’s job performance since the last evaluation they conducted in August 2023. Board Chair Rob Anderson, Board Members Tucker Case and Ken Harbison voted “Yes” on the motion. Vice-Chair Pat Samway and Secretary/Treasurer Pam Trampe voted “No”.
Marsh had served the hospital for 25 years. She started in 1998 as Chief Nursing Officer of what was then known as Tri-County Area Hospital District. She had been Chief Executive Officer since 2010 when the hospital was rebranded as the Lexington Regional Health Center. Marsh had advocated and served on many health care boards at the state and national levels over the years and was honored with many awards of achievement.
Immediately after the vote, Marsh addressed hospital staff saying “I want to thank all of you. You guys are amazing” and left the meeting. Audience members then warmly applauded her.
Anderson said the next step would be to appoint an interim CEO during a special meeting. He suggested Chief Financial Officer Wade Eschenbrenner would be the next ranking staff member.
While audience members weren’t allowed to address the Board during the evaluation discussion, several audience members spoke a few moments later during the Public Comments item on the agenda.
The Board then went into Executive Session to discuss “Medical Staff Meeting Discussions”.
