Groner says parish council is targeting IMC board members for removal

The former chairman of the Iberia Medical Center Board of Commissioners weighed in on the recent unrest between the Iberia Parish Council and the IMC board, claiming that at least one council member is targeting members of the IMC board for removal.

In a letter to the editor published in Sunday’s Daily Iberian, David Groner said the Iberia Parish Council’s recent move to force the IMC board to reopen nominations for board members was illegal.

“They had no right to open up applications to other candidates,” Groner wrote. “The state statute specifically says the two members who represent the medical staff of IMC may ONLY be appointed by the council from the application submitted by the hospital to the Iberia Parish Governing authority.”

Groner based his argument on research provided to the hospital board from state Sen. Fred Mills last week. According to Iberia Parish Legal Counsel Andy Shealy, however, the parish’s Code of Ordinances requires all resumes submitted to the hospital’s Medical Staff Executive Committee be forwarded, which was the basis for the council requesting that the nominations be reopened.

Shealy’s research also found that the medical staff’s initial recommendation, incumbent Larry Nelson, had already exceeded the allowed number of terms and was not eligible to be reappointed. The medical staff then forwarded the resumes for Dr. Jose Mata, the Medical Staff Executive Committee’s unanimous recommendation, and Dr. David Benson. The council appointed Benson in a 9-3 vote, with District 13 Councilman Marty Trahan abstaining because he has relatives who work at IMC.

In his letter, Groner said at least one other councilman, District 3’s Tommy Landry, should also have recused himself from voting.

“Tommy Landry competes against the hospital with his physical therapy clinic,” Groner wrote. “He should not vote because of this blatant conflict of interest, yet he rallies other council members to vote his way.”

Landry owns and operates Thomas J. Landry and Associates Physical Therapy. Groner said Landry and IMC Board Member Frederick “Bozo” Metz have worked to remove IMC board members, including Groner, who have supported IMC CEO Parker Templeton.

Landry did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.

“The first step for Bozo Metz was having me, the chairman of the board at that time, removed from the board and replaced by a clearly unqualified applicant,” Groner said. 

When Groner was up for reappointment in October 2016, there were three candidates — Groner, optometrist Guy Feuer and Barry Verret, who withdrew prior to the vote. Because the seat was not one of the two medical staff positions on the board, the application process was open to all residents. Feuer won on the fourth ballot when Trahan switched his vote from Groner to Feuer.

Feuer served for a month before changing his residency to Lafayette Parish, making him ineligible to serve on the IMC board.

“Next was an attempt to have Kathy Reeves, board member, replaced, but they missed the deadline for application,” Groner said. “Next they tried to replace Lynn Minville, board member, when he demonstrated independence from Bozo Metz. Minville barely survived the vote of the council.”

In both the Minville and Groner votes, Landry voted to oust the incumbent.

Parish Council Chairman Paul G. Landry said the issues raised during the latest committee appointment, as well as those in Groner’s letter, have led to conversations between the council and the hospital’s medical staff to improve communication.

“I first got involved in the application process back when this first came up in September,” Paul Landry said. “The hospital’s legal counsel could have explained this, but instead took to attacking the council.”

One of the challenges, Landry said, has been getting qualified candidate to apply to be on the board. Because the IMC board deals with highly technical issues, it can take years before board members are able to make informed decisions, Landry said.

“In the past, we have struggled to get applicants,” he said.

One solution he said will be put in place is a committee comprised of three council members, three IMC board members and three members of the medical staff. The committee would serve as a clearinghouse for information and issues to make sure communication remains open.

“We met with members of the hospital staff on Friday, and will meet again Tuesday,” Paul Landry said.