Supporters of Ed Mathews, Interim CEO at Mammoth Hospital, say emphatically that Mathews had nothing to do with the strong, vocal backing to hire him as permanent CEO.

Hospital Board Chair Don Sage had said that he and another board member asked Mathews to call off his supporters because it was disruptive. From Mammoth Hospital, Judi Stern said, Ed knew nothing about our efforts until we presented the petition and showed up at the Board meeting. I just do not want the public to think that he was in any way involved in our efforts to try to keep him here other than his wonderful service and rapport with the employees.

A nurse at Mammoth Hospital, Charlotte Thompson, wrote a comment on our website that under Mathews, employee morale had risen dramatically. She said that this was not because of who Matthews was but because of the way he did his job. People started feeling they could be and were a valuable, respected asset to Mammoth Hospital once again.

Nurse Thompson said that in the past employees have been made to feel that nothing they do will be taken seriously. It is felt throughout the facility, she said, that the employees have no voice.

Thompson also said that Mr. Matthews did not organize a support group. She said support for him was spontaneous and independent of him. DEd Matthews became a symbol to the employees of what we felt was lacking for many years in some of our senior management a willingness to accept the employees as a valuable, experienced intelligent member of a team whose input should and could be a valuable asset to the community.

Hospital employees have also asked about the status of former CEO Gary Myers. Board Chairman Sage confirmed that Myers was paid in the general range of $100,000 as severance pay and for handling any remaining disputed change orders or contracts on the building project.

Some workers questioned this expenditure in view of the serious financial problems at the hospital and belt tightening by others.

When asked to respond to employee beliefs that the Hospital Board doesnt care about workers, Chairman Sage aid, We do care about the whole thing, very intently. Do we listen? Yes. Do we give they everything they ask for? No, we cant.

Sage said he does believe the new CEO can deal with morale at the hospital. He said he believes the change of CEOs is part of what makes workers uneasy. As for finances, Sage said the Board will probably hire a temporary firm to handle financial needs for now.