Despite calls to take action, a nonprofit well being care basis charged with managing greater than $13 million of Haywood County taxpayer cash in help of public well being initiatives has declined to carry a removing vote relating to one trustee’s public anti-mask, anti-vaccine advocacy.
“We had a prolonged dialogue concerning the trustees and their obligations and it was decided that we might not take motion in opposition to a trustee at the moment,” mentioned Anthony Sutton, chair of the Haywood Healthcare Basis’s board of trustees, on Feb. 26.
On Jan. 13, Sutton told The Smoky Mountain Information {that a} “request for removing as per bylaws” was submitted by an nameless trustee, relating to fellow trustee Janet Presson. Sutton mentioned on the time that the board’s nominating committee had determined that the problem ought to come earlier than the total board.
Presson’s been lively in advancing in opposition to the usage of masks and vaccinations that fly within the face of steerage supplied by worldwide, nationwide, state and native well being officers.
Her Fb web page has displayed plenty of claims labeled as false by fact-checkers, in addition to posts calling masks utilization “youngster abuse.” Presson had additionally been issuing public remark throughout native authorities board conferences since shortly after she was appointed to the Haywood Healthcare Basis board in April 2019.
In July of that yr, Presson helped host an anti-vax movie screening on the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville that includes a documentary movie filled with misinformation and debunked research by discredited former medical professionals. At that occasion, she additionally tried to ban members of the native media, together with The Smoky Mountain Information, The Mountaineer and WLOS-TV, from recording or filming.
After her most up-to-date look earlier than the City of Waynesville Board of Aldermen on Dec. 8, 2020, The Smoky Mountain Information started receiving letters from readers, demanding her removing from the HHF Board of Trustees. Bethel resident Tom Tomaka referred to as her “an extremist” whose “discredited views can have a detrimental impact on the well being and lives of our residents.”
Whereas Presson is free to carry these views and advance them as a public determine, they seem in baffling contradiction to the HHF’s mission assertion of enhancing “… the well being standing of Haywood County, its people and households by academic applications, grants, scholarships and management alternatives … high quality healthcare is important to a productive life.”
When SMN requested HHF trustees to weigh in on how Presson’s views aligned with that mission on Jan. 13, solely two gave solutions. Each Teresa Liner and Neil Budde mentioned they weren’t in settlement with Presson’s false claims, however neither answered the precise query. Trustees Dr. Barbara Parker, Julie Davis, Hylah Birenbaum, Julia Freeman, Jennifer Heaberlin, Jonathan Key, Linda Nulsen, Carmine Rocco, Phyllis Prevost, Charles Thomas, Allen and Cassie Braswell, Peggy Melville and Judy Ross failed to reply.
Regardless of not taking a vote on the problem of Presson’s removing, HHF’s board was fast to deal with the contradiction by reiterating what, precisely, it means to be an unelected trustee on a nonprofit well being care basis board in control of hundreds of thousands in taxpayer cash.
“We did make clear who may communicate on behalf of the muse and directed trustees that they had been to not make statements on behalf of the muse, aside from the chief committee,” Sutton mentioned.
Presson has by no means claimed to symbolize or to talk on behalf of the HHF. For now, Presson will proceed in her function as trustee of the muse, which was initially funded with the proceeds of the sale of the outdated public hospital.
“Ms. Presson’s time period with the muse ends in Feb. of 2022, so she’ll stay for 5 extra conferences,” Sutton mentioned. “She may even abstain from voting on something we might contemplate a battle.”
Trustees are eligible for re-appointment on the finish of their three-year phrases.
“I don’t really feel that she would come out of the renomination course of with a optimistic suggestion,” Sutton mentioned.
Sutton added that as new members are nominated sooner or later, they’ll pay somewhat extra consideration to potential trustees.
“We are going to proceed to do our greatest to appoint individuals who have one of the best healthcare concepts for the county, and we’ll improve our vetting course of to make sure they’re extra in step with that,” Sutton mentioned. “Nonetheless, we do encourage a various board. We wish as many concepts as potential and I believe this has introduced vaccination to the forefront.”
In its function of advancing public well being initiatives — each earlier than, and after the onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic — the HHF normally donates round $300,000 to a plethora of different native nonprofits to assist advance its mission.
In truth, on the similar Feb. 22 assembly the place Presson’s removing was mentioned, the board moved ahead with a considerable donation towards Haywood County’s COVID-19 vaccination effort.
“We funded the county roughly $38,000 to assist the county with vaccination operations on the fairgrounds,” Sutton mentioned. “We wish the neighborhood to grasp the significance of vaccinations so we are able to all get again to regular enterprise. We additionally look ahead to working with the county and the well being dept sooner or later, in assembly wants for Covid-19 vaccinations.”
When reached for touch upon this story by SMN, Janet Presson mentioned she had none.
