Gina Temple, PhD, RN, is no longer serving as CEO of HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital in Hudson, according to a statement from Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare that was shared with Becker's.
HCA Healthcare said Dr. Temple continues to be employed in an advisory capacity.
"We are grateful for her dedicated service to our hospital including her leadership in expanding and renovating our emergency department, the opening of a new inpatient rehabilitation program, construction of a new patient tower and a multi-year patient room modernization project that is now underway," the statement reads.
The departure from the helm follows a news report with troubling allegations related to Bayonet Point's care quality and working conditions.
In February, NBC News reported physicians' allegations of unsanitary and unsafe conditions at Bayonet Point. The physicians cited alleged unsanitary surgical instruments, inadequate monitoring of intensive care unit patients and overcrowding in the emergency department.
On March 20, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis, R-Fla., submitted a letter with eight questions to Dr. Temple about the hospital's care quality and working conditions. The lawmakers referred to media coverage, as well as deficiencies identified by Florida officials.
HCA Healthcare shared a statement with Becker's then about the lawmakers' inquiry, which reads, in part, "We are glad these members have asked us about this because the allegations made in the NBC News report are misleading and they paint a false picture of Bayonet Point. We are proud of the quality care provided there and welcome the chance to share information with Senator Rubio and Congressman Bilirakis."
NBC News said in an Aug. 1 report that it could not determine how HCA responded to the lawmakers because Congress is on summer hiatus and HCA declined a request for comment. Bayonet Point received one star in CMS' latest quality ratings released July 26.
The statement HCA Healthcare shared with Becker's on Aug. 1 regarding Dr. Temple's departure from her CEO role, which NBC News covered, said: "Based on past experience, we know that NBC News has no intention of accurately portraying our hospital and the exceptional care our colleagues provide on a daily basis, so we are not participating in the story beyond this comment."
HCA Healthcare said Sally Seymour, CEO of HCA Florida St. Petersburg Hospital since 2022, was named interim CEO of Bayonet Point. Ms. Seymour has more than two decades of healthcare experience. She previously served as COO of HCA Florida Trinity and HCA Florida Fawcett hospitals.
Dr. Temple was named CEO of Bayonet Point in October 2019. She previously served as president of Mission Trail Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, now part of Dallas-based Tenet Healthcare.