Hospital board fires CEO after 17 years

By KCBY News Published: Jul 27, 2012 at 2:38 PM PDT Last Updated: Jul 27, 2012 at 3:04 PM PDT
Hospital board fires CEO after 17 years
Jim Wathan

BANDON, Ore. - The Southern Coos Hospital Board has fired CEO Jim Wathen after nearly 17 years of employment with the board.

The hospital board has agreed to pay Wathen's salary for a year and give him his retirement benefits.

Wathen did not have a comment on the matter, but he told KCBY News that he is an at-will employee and the board makes decisions to change directions as it pleases.

Board Member Brian Vick told KCBY the decision was purely political and is going to cost the hospital thousands of dollars not only in Wathen's severance package and to hire someone to search for their new chief executive officer.

Wathan's last day will be July 31.

KCBY will continue to gather details about this story as it develops