Anniston City Council wants more communication with RMC board through City Manager

Sept. 28--The Anniston City Council appoints the majority of Regional Medical Center's board members, but as of this past week one can also steer city policy.

The council appointed City Manager Brian Johnson to the RMC board during its Monday meeting.

While there are other government officials on the board, only Johnson has significant power and influence in the city he represents.

Council members say they want Johnson to increase communication between them and the city's largest employer. It's a decision that comes after a recent series of challenges for the Anniston-based hospital, from a public fight over payments for services with insurer Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama to decreases in revenue and rising health care costs.

The city of Anniston, which owns RMC, established the board for the nonprofit hospital in 1974. Anniston makes seven appointments to the board, while the Calhoun County Commission and the cities of Oxford and Jacksonville each has two appointments.

With about 1,500 employees, RMC is the largest employer in the city.

Attempts to reach Greg Kernion, chairman of the RMC board, for comment Friday were unsuccessful.

Johnson will take his seat on the board for the first time during its regular meeting next month. Johnson said he was not ready to discuss what he envisions his full role will be on the board.

"I have not had the chance to speak with the chairman or the other board members," Johnson said. "Because it is a unique situation, I need to be sure everyone is on the same page."

The majority of the RMC board is composed of private residents. County Commissioner Fred Wilson and Jacksonville Councilwoman Sandra Sudduth are on the board, however, they have limited power compared to Johnson, who oversees all of Anniston's city departments, hires and fires staff and recommends policy actions to the council.

Johnson has flexed that influence significantly in less than a year on the job, most recently by spearheading the creation of a new board structure for Anniston's museums.

Councilman Jay Jenkins, who nominated Johnson, said he wants the city manager to be a communicator between the board and the council.

"RMC is the city's biggest employer ... this is ensuring they continue their success and the city has some working knowledge of the board's operations," Jenkins said. "We have some appointees on there but we're not getting that info ... there is a communications gap."

Jenkins said some of the hospital's recent challenges, such as attempts last month to negotiate higher payments for services from Blue Cross, did raise in him awareness for greater communication between the council and the board.

"We're not intending to in any way get into micromanaging or changing the way they function," Jenkins said of the board. "But we ought to be better informed, at least in a general sense ... I feel this is something we should have done a long time ago."

Mayor Vaughn Stewart said Johnson's appointment was a positive move for the city.

"We're very interested in all our assets in the city, like any existing industry," Stewart said. "The hospital, due to its size, does affect the community ... it's important we have an open line of communication with them."

Councilwoman Millie Harris said she's confident in Johnson, due to his recent success helping reorganize the board structure for the Anniston Museum of Natural History, the Berman Museum and the Longleaf Botanical Gardens.

"He's a great communicator and a change agent and we feel we need some open communication between RMC and City Hall," Harris said. "He is a true advocate for Anniston."

Tim Hodges, chairman of the County Commission, said he was not yet informed enough on the board to offer an opinion about Johnson's appointment.

"It is unusual to have a city manager on the RMC board -- I've had a lot of people ask me questions about what's going on," Hodges said. "It's a city-owned hospital, so they have an interest in it, but I don't know what his involvement will be."

Jacksonville Mayor Johnny Smith also said he was not yet informed enough to offer an opinion on the appointment.

"It seems a little unusual, but I really don't know at this point," Smith said.

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