Arkansas State Rep. Joe Farrer (R-Austin) has resigned in protest from his job as interim CEO of Jacksonville, Ark.-based North Metro Medical Center, according to an Arkansas News Bureau report.
Here are four things to know about Rep. Farrer and his resignation.
1. Rep. Farrer resigned over a decision by the hospital's owners to reinstate a physician whom Rep. Farrer had asked to resign because of the physician's alleged alcohol problem, according to the report. The physician, whom Rep. Farrer said admitted that alcohol found in the physicians' lounge was his, submitted a letter of resignation, but was reinstated by North Metro's owner, Shreveport, La.-based Allegiance Health Management. "As CEO of the hospital, I'm responsible for patient care and I'm responsible for hospital liability, and I thought that was an issue, so I resigned," Rep. Farrer said, according to the report.
2. North Metro has not commented on Rep. Farrer's resignation.
3. Rep. Farrer had worked for North Metro for two decades, most of those years as director of physical services. He had been interim CEO for the past three months.
4. In addition to Rep. Farrer, North Metro CNO Deb Bostic also resigned.