Breaking news: Medical Center CEO’s contract not renewed

Sources say that the contract for John Friel, chief executive officer of the local hospital, has not been renewed.
The news broke unexpectedly last week. In related news, three board members have apparently resigned.
An interim CEO was on the job Friday, May 1.
The news of Friel’s departure surprized many Islanders, including Dr. Rod Muller, immediate past president of the board. Muller resigned on March 31.

Sources say that the contract for John Friel, chief executive officer of the local hospital, has not been renewed.
The news broke unexpectedly last week. In related news, three board members have apparently resigned.
An interim CEO was on the job Friday, May 1.
The news of Friel’s departure surprized many Islanders, including Dr. Rod Muller, immediate past president of the board. Muller resigned on March 31.
“The termination of John Friel, former CEO of our hospital, came as a surprise to me as we had just voted 7-1 on March 30, 2015 to extend a revised contract to Mr. Friel,” Muller said.
“The Board had agreed on the contract after months of internal negotiations,” Muller said.
“At that time, I felt that I had done all that I could to maintain the continuing progress of our hospital under the competent leadership of the then CEO,” Muller said.
“Any vote for termination came AFTER March 30 and had less than eight votes, as other Board members had also chosen to resign,” Muller said.
The hospital website currently lists the names of five individuals as board members.
The board of the Avalon Medical Development Corporation has issued an unsigned statement about Ballard’s selection as interim CEO that says:
“The AMDC Board and the Catalina Island Medical Center are in a period of transition with the existence of some director’s vacancies and the appointment of a new interim chief executive officer to oversee day to day hospital operations. ‘We are very fortunate to welcome Bryan Ballard back to the Island,’ said Conrado Vega, vice chairperson of the AMDC Board.   Ballard, who led CIMC from January 2007 to July 2012 stepped back into the role of CEO on May 1 replacing former administrator John Friel.
“Ballard, with his recent history of service to CIMC, is a link to the hospital’s past and is committed to maintain the momentum of positive changes achieved since the 1990s. The hospital’s mission remains the same:  to provide quality healthcare to each individual and improve the overall health of our community.”
To read the entire statement, see the longer version of this story at thecatalinaIslander.com.