IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
The chief executive officer and managing director of Corona Regional Medical Center has stepped down.
Kevan Metcalfe’s resignation was announced last month in a hospital statement, according to a published report.
No reason was given for his departure.
Metcalfe, 58, became chief executive of the 160-bed acute care hospital and its rehabilitation facility three years ago.
His resignation follows several controversial issues regarding the hospital, most recently the negative public reaction to its decision to close its pediatric unit.
Also, nurses at Corona Regional in January voted to join a union, and in September Metcalfe received a no-confidence vote from 50 physicians who have privileges at the hospital, according to the report.
Metcalfe defended his decision to close the pediatric unit, saying the move was necessary because of safety issues and a decline in patients.
With the state requiring hospitals to provide two nurses for each of its patients, Corona Regional can’t provide specialized nurses for the five-bed unit.
One reason the pediatric unit has lost patients during the past three years is the quality of care patients receive from their pediatricians, which is often so good that the patients don’t need to spend time in the hospital, according to Metcalfe.
