North Country medical staff cast no-confidence vote in CEO

NEWPORT, Vt. (WCAX) - Medical staff at North Country Hospital this week cast a no-confidence vote in their CEO, Brian Nall.

Nall took over as CEO in 2018. Former medical staff say they aren’t surprised about the vote of no confidence, citing a failed vote in April of 2021. They say his management decisions created a work environment impacting staff and patients. No one from the hospital was willing to be interviewed on camera, but they sent along a statement from the board chair Frank Knoll saying:

“The Board takes this very seriously and is aware of the vote and looking into the matter. Because this is a personnel matter, we are of course not able to share any additional information at this time,” the statement said. “We are deeply committed to the staff, patients, and community we serve and will always act in their best interest. We appreciate the community’s support and understanding.”

Former staff members we spoke with say the power dynamics created when Nall arrived are also leading to resignations. Four former employees told us it has left the hospital with a lot of open positions to fill and gaps in care for the community. As of Friday night, there were 100 open positions listed on the hospital’s website.

When we asked about staffing, we received another statement saying: “We struggle like all Vermont hospitals, and really hospitals around the country too. We have made several really important additions to our team recently including two primary care physicians and a cardiologist joining in January, and we have a couple of recent additions to our emergency department team. We also have a part-time general surgeon who has come on board. We’re excited to welcome them and all to North Country Hospital. We continue to work hard to hire providers of all types to care for our community.”

North Country Hospital’s website says the board meets regularly but does not give an exact schedule. A spokesperson from the hospital said they should have more information on the no-confidence vote early next week.

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