Marylouise Jones, interim CEO of Western State Hospital in Lakewood, Wash., is resigning for a new job opportunity in the private sector, according to The Olympian.
Ms. Jones has worked at the 800-bed inpatient psychiatric hospital for 20-plus years, assuming the interim CEO role in September 2017.
The news of Ms. Jones' decision to depart comes on heels of a CMS inspection that ended May 25. The results of the inspection are pending; however, during the survey, CMS officials placed the hospital on "immediate jeopardy" for fire-suppression equipment that could be used to commit suicide. The hospital submitted a plan to fix the issue, which CMS accepted. If CMS takes away Western State Hospital's certification, based on the results, it would lose $53.2 million in annual funding.
Additionally, a federal judge recently fined the hospital for failing to provide, "timely services to defendants who have mental illnesses," The Olympian reports.
It is unclear if these issues led to Ms. Jones' decision to leave the top post at the hospital. In a letter to the organization's staff obtained by The Olympian, she wrote, "The new position will allow me to gain expertise in the community side of our statewide mental health system."