After less than a year on the job, top doctor at Eleanor Slater resigns. What's next?

PROVIDENCE — Another chief medical officer for the Eleanor Slater Hospital has resigned less than a year after being hired, marking the latest in a series of departures from that critical position in the state-run hospital.

In a Dec. 1 letter obtained by The Providence Journal, Katharine N. Woods informed Louis Cerbo, the acting director of the state agency that runs the hospital, of her unannounced resignation, effective Jan. 5.

"After our discussions, it is clear that this is not the mutual best fit for myself or the organization for the long run, as sad as it will be to leave the coworkers and staff with whom I work most closely everyday and as much as I remain dedicated to healthcare provided for the common good," the letter reads.

According to a statement from the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, Dr. Sue Ferranti will serve as interim CMO. The agency said they are engaged in a national search and have interviews with three candidates already scheduled in hopes of filling the position by summer 2024.

Why is she leaving?

Woods did not elaborate on her reasons for leaving. In her letter, she pointed proudly to her role in the long-troubled hospital keeping its accreditation, which at earlier points was in question. But staff were aware that a recruiter had put out word in recent months that she had been "retained by the state of Rhode Island to conduct a confidential search for a CMO."

Asked about the confidential recruitment effort, BHDDH spokesman Randal Edgar said: "As a consummate professional, Dr. Woods afforded the hospital the courtesy of advance notification so the hospital would have time to begin the search for a replacement. She has been and remains an asset to the hospital."

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CMO position at Eleanor Slater a revolving door

The job has been a revolving door since the departure of the hospital's longtime CMO Brian Daly. Dr. Suzanne Bornschein filled in on an interim basis after Daly left, until the hiring of the controversial Elinore McCance-Katz, who also left less than a year after taking the job.

McCance-Katz returned to the hospital – that she left for a top mental-health post in Trump-era Washington – at a time of turmoil that saw her predecessor quit and the CEO suspended without pay before quitting. Her last day was July 22, 2022.

She left at a point the hospital – with about 200 patients across two campuses in Cranston and Burrillville – was under investigation by the Rhode Island attorney general and Disability Rights Rhode Island, an independent, federally mandated "protection and advocacy system for the state of Rhode Island."

After another stretch with an interim CMO, Dr. Sue Ferranti, BHDDH announced the hiring of Woods, who had previously served as the chief medical officer of Arizona State Hospital and assistant deputy director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. Before that, she was the medical director for hospital psychiatry and director of neurotherapeutics at Banner-University Medical Center’s South Campus, in Tucson, Arizona.

According to the BHDDH email announcing her hiring, she is a graduate of Harvard University, the University of Southern California, and the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her residency at the Institute of Living in Hartford, Conn., and is Board Certified in Psychiatry.

“I am pleased to announce that Dr. Woods has accepted the position of Chief Medical Officer,” then BHDDH Director Richard Charest said at the time. “She brings a great deal of experience and knowledge to this role and she understands the needs of our patients at Eleanor Slater Hospital, as well as the needs of individuals who receive services that are supported by BHDDH.”

An exodus of doctors – and the reliance on a patchwork crew of moonlighting physicians – renewed concerns among legislators and other patient advocates about what is happening to the 58 patients on the Zambarano campus of the hospital, as recently as September.

On Friday, Edgar gave The Journal the current count: "One full-time physician and one full-time physician who splits time between both campuses. Two other full-time physicians who will be working full-time at Zambarano are going through the hiring and credentialing processes. There is also a team of part-time physicians who help to ensure 24-7 coverage."

Speaking as the former medical director of the Zambarano hospital (2000-2021) who is still in touch with former colleagues, Dr. Normand Decelles told The Journal at the time: "Patients and staff deserve far better than what is continuing inside Eleanor Slater Hospital today."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Eleanor Slater Hospital CMO resigns, search is on for replacement