[T]he CEO of the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital will not be reappointed to his position, he told colleagues this week.
Jeff Rothenberg, who has worked for the Department of Mental Health for five years, wrote in an email Tuesday to the hospital’s advisory board that his last day was Friday.
“As many of you may recall, this position was made exempt during the Shumlin Administration and serves at the discretion of the Governor and (Agency of Human Services) Secretary,” he wrote in the email. “I will be working with (Department of Mental Health leaders) to ensure a smooth a transition in the upcoming days.”
He said: “I am proud of the work we have done here to try to be a safe, humane, recovery oriented, excellent treatment provider, and wish all of you individually and together as an Advisory Committee further success in the work that occurs here and in your lives outside of here.”
The Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital is a 25-bed facility that opened in mid-2014 to serve patients with a designation called Level 1, meaning they are considered dangerous and may be suicidal or homicidal. Some of the patients come to the hospital from the criminal justice system.
The Vermont Department of Human Resources said Rothenberg has been with the state since March 2012. He served as principal assistant and then chief executive officer, and was an exempt employee in both cases, the department said.
Al Gobeille, the secretary of the Agency of Human Services, declined to discuss the reason Rothenberg will not be re-appointed, calling it a “personnel matter.” Gobeille said the Department of Mental Health has already created a transition plan and is currently working on a hiring plan for a new CEO.
“I think we’re looking for somebody who is incredibly competent at what they do, meaning being able to run a hospital like that, and also willing to understand the Vermont system and style of care and how to inform us how to make it better,” Gobeille said.
Gobeille has been working with a group of mental health stakeholders for about one week on a thorough review of Vermont’s mental health system. The group has been split into four sub-groups to analyze issues related to system flow, workforce, facilities, and funding.
Workers at the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital organized a public hearing Jan. 8 to tell lawmakers about their working conditions. They reported being understaffed, regularly working double-shifts and feeling in danger when patients are exceptionally violent.
In an interview Friday night, Rothenberg cited numerous achievements at the Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital during his tenure, including opening the facility on time and on budget; implementing an IT system on time and on budget; and going all five years without sentinel events resulting in homicide, suicide, or escape from the facility.
Rothenberg was hired under Patrick Flood, a former commissioner of the Department of Mental Health. He said he was surprised to hear Gobeille describe the decision not to re-appoint him as a “personnel matter” because, he said, he had been told repeatedly he was doing a good job.
âRothenberg said: “âI believe the hospital is moving in a positive direction and trust that the governor and DMH will prioritize continuing to pursue VPCH’s mission to provide excellent care and treatment recovery-oriented, safe and respectful environment which promotes empowerment, hope and quality of life for the individuals it serves.â”â
