Jefferson Healthcare’s hospital commissioners formally censured Commissioner Matt Ready, following his allegations that the board violated the state’s Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) in discussions about the proposed Peninsula Health Alliance (PHA).   

The censure resolution, approved with a 4-1 vote on Oct. 22, accuses Ready of violating the board’s bylaws, filing unfounded criminal charges, falsely insisting serial meeting OPMA violations occurred and accusing CEO Mike Glenn and other commissioners of acting illegally.

Ready, who cast the lone dissenting vote, said, “if someone suspects possible criminal action, it is their civic duty, especially for an elected official that swears an oath to the Constitution, to report that, and that is what I did. This censure is essentially condemning me for following my oath of office.” 

Ready blew the whistle on the proposed alliance — dubbed “Project Driftwood” — during a board meeting in March when he said, “I regretfully need to inform the public that Jefferson Healthcare is in secret negotiations with Olympic Medical Center (OMC) to create something called the Peninsula Health Alliance.” 

In a later interview, he told The Leader that in February, the Jefferson Healthcare Board was presented, in executive session, with a draft proposal for the new nonprofit. 

“In a second executive session—this time with the hospital’s attorney Brad Berg—commissioners were informed of a strategy to move forward using what CEO Glenn referred to as a “binding non-binding” agreement with OMC,” Ready said. “The intent was to appear as though public input was still pending, while legally committing Jefferson Healthcare to the plan. Brad Berg confirmed this could be achieved by having the board authorize the CEO to sign a letter of intent, effectively binding the district before public engagement.”

Given what he saw, Ready alleged that members of the Jefferson Healthcare Board had violated open meeting laws, abused the use of executive sessions and suppressed public information. He presented his claims to local law enforcement and the state attorney general. 

The healthcare board has admitted some fault regarding the Feb. 5 executive session, but denies Ready’s other allegations. The board blames Ready, in part, for the failure of Project Driftwood.

Board Chair Jill Buhler Rienstra when asked what she hopes the board gains from the censure said, “The board is hoping for closure on the matters included in the censure. It does not affect Commissioner Ready’s role on the Jefferson Healthcare board.”

Each commissioner commented on the censure at the meeting, with Ready taking issue with several of the claims made against him. 

“The line where it says, Commissioner Ready claims it was illegal for Commissioner McCommas and Buhler to participate, I think it’s just false,” he said. “I never singled out Commissioner Buhler or McCommas for that event. I didn’t know about that event.” 

He confirmed that he had accused all the commissioners of participating in “illegal deliberations and hidden approval” of the PHA.

“The lines about the filing criminal charges for OPMA violations is false on multiple accounts. I never reported Open Public Meeting Act violations as criminal acts; I reported possible criminal acts, specifically the fraudulent misrepresentation to the public and the potential official misconduct in unauthorized board action conducted in secret regarding the Peninsula Health Alliance.” 

Ready continued, saying, “The conduct of hiding this proposal from the public and making false statements about it, misrepresenting it, that was fraud. That was deceptive, and doing it all together was potentially a conspiracy to commit fraud, and that is a criminal act. That’s why it was reported.” 

Buhler cut Ready off at least twice, saying he was going “of on another tangent” and accusing him “repeating false statements.”

Kees Kolff, up next, called Ready’s actions “shocking and unbelievable.”

“What disturbs me most, is after working for Jefferson Healthcare for more than a decade I believe, and now on the board for almost 12 years, Commissioner Ready would possibly think that the board and the staff who work tirelessly to keep this hospital district the miraculous place it is, to think that the board, the staff and Mike Glenn, would secretly conspire to give up local control.”

Marie Dressler said it’s been a difficult time for the board.  

“Any secret meetings that he has accused us of, I think, are totally a figment of his imagination,” she said. “I’ve spent a majority of my nursing career here, and as I said at the time, Mr. Ready, I take exception to your accusations because you didn’t specify and you didn’t say who had or who hadn’t, which means you’re just throwing mud on the wall and hope it sticks. And that I find absolutely reprehensible.” 

Dressler described Ready’s behavior as despicable, saying, “he has certainly not served this hospital district with any glory.” 

Buhler, the last to comment on the censure before the board vote, said, “I’m really sad, this is a very sad day for me, and I am sure for a lot of other people too, because a lot of people have their hearts and souls in this place. For someone to trash it like you have, the administration and the board, is, as Marie said, reprehensible.”