On FMDH

We are very fortunate to have FMDH in a community our size here in NE Montana. We have excellent caring employees who take pride in doing things right and for the right reasons, which is why we have such a great hospital. They go out of their way, no matter what their job is, small or large, to make sure their patients are taken care of in the right fashion.

When asked to apply for the Board of Directors by many people that I had come in contact with during my two terms on the FMDH Foundation board, I thought for sure my experience on the Foundation was nothing but good, seeing all the good things that they do for the hospital and organizations in the community. I was so proud to see how we helped all the students with scholarships to carry on their medical explorations. How the Foundation helped so much with grants and other projects, to be able to get the digital mammography X-ray machine for Dr. Walter Smith (our new radiologist at the time) and then to see our Radiology techs so proud to have such a state of the art machine here in NE Montana, helping the people from all around the area. The techs ( Lindsay, Heather and Mary) worked hard on every project to help the Foundation board make money toward the purchase. I felt proud for our hospital and for all the people that worked so hard for it.

After applying for the Board of Directors, I was excited to be voted on by our community. The excitement didn’t last past the first meeting. I made the “mistake” of asking questions about things that had just happened with Dr. Thomas Mirich. I was given a short heated answer and was told that was past business and not MY business, but if I had to know, they couldn’t come to an agreement with Dr. Mirich on renewal of his contract.

So, I went to Dr. Mirich only to find out from him a completely different story about what actually happened, nothing like the one the CEO had told me.

I think it was my first Board meeting that I found out Dr. Walter Smith was leaving. I couldn’t believe it, here was a very good radiologist, plus a better man. I had heard nothing but good things from all the techs about what a great doctor he was to work with. I have had many X-rays and knew almost all the techs in that department. I then went to see Dr. Smith, as a friend not as a board member, only to get another first hand story as to why he was leaving.

I really didn’t want to hear what both doctors had told me about their time at FMDH and I was given letters from both doctors explaining what had happened to them. I was also given letters from techs as to how they were treated and bullied and why they decided to leave FMDH only to be hired immediately by other local hospitals. I have been given letters stating the employees we lost were the best techs in our hospital and we let them go, now paying out of town traveling techs a lot more money than we were paying our local techs.

I then let the other board members know I had all this information from those affected in Ortho, Surgery and Radiology, and wanted to share when the CEO evaluation took place in the September meeting.

After Randy Holom sent a formal complaint letter to all board members about me, the board had a special meeting August 24 to discuss this complaint with Matt Knierim attending.President Karen Breigenzer and Matt Knierim were pushing for me to resign. But I refuse and I want to serve on the board. In order for me to stay they gave me a list of 10 things that I WILL do,which is basically sit there and not be involved in any decisions.

I have just begun to fight for the employees who have had to leave family and travel out of town to get work. They did not want to leave. Some tried to sell their homes and relocate, but they all wanted to stay at FMDH.

– Butch Tewell

Nashua