Marilyn Benson: Hospital board fails to represent the community
From an opinion article by NUHW member Marilyn Benson in The Salinas Californian:
When outgoing Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital CEO Sam Downing was interviewed two weeks ago for a newspaper article about the nearly $4 million in retirement benefits he’s been given by the SVMH Board of Directors, this is what he said:
“I think I’ve earned it. I’ve stayed here out of my commitment to try to build a great hospital…. I worked for this institution and gave them my heart and soul.”
When I read this quote from Downing, I was dismayed. You see, I’ve worked at SVMH for 37 years. That’s just a few years shy of Downing’s four-decade career at SVMH. I’ve worked hard, too. I’ve given every bit as much of my heart and soul to SVMH as Downing has.
But there’s a big difference between Downing’s retirement and mine.
He is leaving by choice with almost $4 million in retirement benefits in addition to his yearly $150,000 pension disbursements.
Like hundreds of other SVMH caregivers, I’ve been handed a pink slip and shown the door.
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