More melee at JFL Hospital in STX

LESSING AND OKOLO BYPASS HOSPITAL BOARD; PAY THEMSELVES TENS OF THOUSANDS IN BONUSES

http://viconsortium.com/featured/lessing-and-okolo-bypass-hospital-board-pay-themselves-tens-of-thousands-in-bonuses/

TOO MANY CHIEFS; NOT ENOUGH WORKERS AT J.F.L., TESTIFIERS SAY

http://viconsortium.com/featured/too-many-chiefs-not-enough-workers-at-j-f-l/

who wrote and approved those checks? did they write the checks from the hospitals checking account???

are they the only ones in charge of the money. dont they have an accountant , isnt there a governing board to approve raises and bonuses?

did the buck really start and stop with them.

is this just another witch hunt

who wrote and approved those checks? did they write the checks from the hospitals checking account???

are they the only ones in charge of the money. dont they have an accountant , isnt there a governing board to approve raises and bonuses?

did the buck really start and stop with them.

is this just another witch hunt

That was gone into at length at the hearing and reported in the article (which was also linked yesterday).

"TOO MANY CHIEFS; NOT ENOUGH WORKERS"

This is true of the entire VI government. Too many assistant to the executive and executive assistants. And there should be NO "non-essential employees" at either hospital.

This is still the island of pirates and thiefs.. Just formalny educated. They all should face criminal charges. The wannabe Mugabes.

The Consortium is quick to condemn, but is missing a vital fact.

Okolo's bonus was approved by Griffith before he left.

Better reporting, as usual, in the visource article.

http://stcroixsource.com/content/news/local-news/2016/05/25/jfl-hospital-bypassed-board-questionable-bonuses

But the raise was given without Board approval and the background to that was reported at length in that article. The contract had been amended to allow Griffith to authorize raises without Board approval - but that amendment was made without Board approval.

did okolo and the other guy know that the board did not approve?

shouldnt the board be bearing the brunt of this and not the 2 who thought things were above board?

did okolo and the other guy know that the board did not approve?

shouldnt the board be bearing the brunt of this and not the 2 who thought things were above board?

If Okolo didn't know the rules of engagement with the JFL board, then that further proves his inability to perform the job of CEO.

The board was naïve and Okolo/Lessing took advantage. BTW naivety is no excuse either.

i am still not convinced they took advantage? i dont like to convict without proof.

i am still not convinced they took advantage? i dont like to convict without proof.

A significant and important part of any CEO's job is to work with a board of directors within a framework of policies and procedures set forth by said board.

Please, Okolo is smart and able - he's just not honest.

i am still not convinced they took advantage? i dont like to convict without proof.

I'm guessing you've never served on a Board so don't understand the structure of one and how it operates under its by-laws. Neither Okolo nor Lessing can use the excuse that they "didn't understand" either their contracts or the by-laws under which the Board operates. When you serve at the discretion of a Board you're provided a copy of the by-laws and are expected to understand and abide by them. If the amendment was made without Board approval then the amendment is null and void, regardless of the Board's attorney allegedly advising to the contrary.

my question, these addendum that the one article mentioned-the one that would bypass the board in regards to raises and bonuses-who passed those? did okola and lessing just add them in there without any approval? or did the board approve them.

"The bonus to Okolo "was when he was still chief operating officer. That was given to him by Dr. Kendall Griffith in October, before he stepped down," deChabert-Schuster said.

"I asked him (Griffith) about it. ... He said he had forgotten it had to be approved by the board," deChabert-Schuster said." quote from the source.

so if this is the case for Lessing-couldnt this also be the case for Okolo??

so are they saying that the contract and addendum were changed by Lessing and Okolo without the boards knowledge?

but if so, then how would griffith know about and give the bonus to Lessing?

if this was all going on as stated seems the board should be fired for not being in control of these situations and not knowing what was going on in their hospital.

questions not attacks

The addendum was changed on Okolo's say-so and without it being submitted to and approved by the Board. The timeline is in the article(s).

"The bonus to Okolo "was when he was still chief operating officer. That was given to him by Dr. Kendall Griffith in October, before he stepped down," deChabert-Schuster said.

"I asked him (Griffith) about it. ... He said he had forgotten it had to be approved by the board," deChabert-Schuster said." quote from the source.

WHAT about this

And if the board fired Okolo over it then why not fire Lessing too. Probably no need to pay severance if the modified 'contract' he is working under was never approved by the board - nice loophole.

Okolo was fired not just because of this bonus crap but probably because he pissed people off by making them do their jobs. Sounds as if too many people have moved up the ladder to 'admin' (sit on my backside and push paper) positions and aren't willing to dig in. This is why there are too few hands on getting the job done, but still a bloated headcount.

If I was on the board, the first thing I'd do is start with an accurate org chart and salary structure - then compare that to a similar sized facility. That would stir up the hen house.

"The bonus to Okolo "was when he was still chief operating officer. That was given to him by Dr. Kendall Griffith in October, before he stepped down," deChabert-Schuster said.

"I asked him (Griffith) about it. ... He said he had forgotten it had to be approved by the board," deChabert-Schuster said." quote from the source.

WHAT about this

Keep reading the timeline.

The addendum was changed on Okolo's say-so and without it being submitted to and approved by the Board. The timeline is in the article(s).

An executive, like Griffith, can recommend an executive employee for a bonus. But that bonus must be approved by the board according to published reports.

It is highly suspect for individuals to approve distribution of remuneration for services for themselves.

In other words, if you are CEO or CFO you don't approve your own pay. Ever.

i understand that, gators mom, ot maybe i just didnt read far enough??

to me it just sounds like what islandhops said.

i understand that, gators mom, ot maybe i just didnt read far enough??

to me it just sounds like what islandhops said.

Though able and smart, Okolo proved to be dishonest. He lied on his resume for God's sake. HUGE red flag. Then was caught finagling his own contract.

Lessing will be the next to go. He's not honest either. He tried to blackmail the hospital in his published resignation letter for keeping his mouth shut about something (if that is in deed a true document). The board needs him to guide them right now. Bye bye Tim soon come.

Both took money they knew had not been approved by the board (or territorial board). Neither said they tried to give back overpayments. Into the pocket and hope for the best. In my world that's stealing.

If the Daily News had not gotten involved, I think the board would have (happily) swept this under the rug and tried to readjust the compensation contracts to suit the situation.

That's why the board wanted to keep the press out of its meetings.

Shuster is in way over his head. I think he tried to keep a lid on the pot but wasn't able.

sounds like they need a new board.

remind me again what okolo lied about on his resume

That information is easily found. Degree from unaccredited university.

That is not a lie but silly resume padding. This is so common that I would say nearly universal. People put all sorts of "accomplishments" to look important.

Now whoever is evaluating that resume should have a smarts of knowing that PhD comes from diploma mil which is not as credible as an accredited school.

so a degree from an accredited college is better? does that mean his knowledge is less?

and not too long ago some of our public schools did not have accreditation-does that mean their education was not good enough?

so a degree from an accredited college is better? does that mean his knowledge is less?

and not too long ago some of our public schools did not have accreditation-does that mean their education was not good enough?

It means he bought a vanity degree from a for-profit business (calling itself a university) and used it as a credential for a job.

Yes, it means his knowledge is less. He probably paid a fee for the degree with little or no required work. That's how degree mills work.

Degrees from unaccredited schools are not acceptable as credentials for most public sector jobs.

Real PhD's take years of classroom study, research and dissertations.

And yes, if the VI public schools did not have accreditation it probably did mean the educational value offered was less than those that have accreditation.