Who is chief of staff? Hospital board, staff still at odds

The question as to who actually is the Franklin Foundation Hospital medical staff’s representative as chief of staff to the FFH board remains unanswered after the board’s meeting Thursday failed to resolve the lingering issue.
The FFH medical staff nominated Dr. Donna Tesi as chief of staff last month but her standing as such has been disputed by FFH Chief Executive Officer Craig Cudworth, some members of the FFH board and the hospital’s management firm Quorum Health Resources.
The question as to who represents the medical staff on the board also comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by Tesi against St. Mary Parish Hospital District No.1, FFH, Quorum and Cudworth.
According to documents filed in 16th Judicial District Court and obtained by the Banner-Tribune, Dr. Donna Tesi “…as a result of the negligent and substandard conduct of (the) defendants” has suffered emotional distress; past, present and future lost income and limitation of her present and future employment opportunities, in addition to other damages.
The documents further states, Tesi is seeking “general and special damages” in addition to “any other damages allowed by statute with legal interest thereon from judicial demand until paid, reasonable attorney’s fees, plus all costs of these proceedings and for such further and other legal and equitable relief as the court shall deem necessary and proper.”
The lawsuit stems from Tesi’s stated claim in the suit that “the hostile and toxic environment created by the actions of FFH, Quorum and Cudworth made it medically inadvisable that Dr. Tesi perform surgeries at FFH. She has, however, made reasonable efforts to mitigate her damages by serving as an ER physician at FFH and providing hospitalist coverage when another physician is absent.”
Tesi’ lawsuit and another matter regarding litigation involving FFH were discussed at Thursday’s FFH Board meeting but were, as has become common practice, discussed behind closed doors during executive session. Matters discussed during executive session are not open to the public or the press.
The Banner-Tribune attempted to obtain a statement from Cudworth about the public portion of the FFH board meeting, but Cudworth repeatedly refused to answer questions. Cudworth quickly left the boardroom when approached by the Banner-Tribune.