Great Barrington — After the resignation last month of Community Health Programs (CHP) CEO Bryan Ayars amid a discrimination lawsuit against him and CHP’s Board of Directors, allegations of sexual harassment against him, and complaints from CHP physicians that both he and the board marginalized them, CHP has named Lia Spiliotes as interim “leader” to oversee the agency’s multiple Berkshire County health care centers.
Spiliotes is a partner and senior advisor at Boston-based Cambridge Management Group (CMG), and has more than 25 years of experience in health care, including tenure as interim CEO at Community Health Connections Inc., which like CHP, is a Federally Qualified Health Center in Central Massachusetts.
Cambridge Management Group, founded in 1985, is a consultancy that works with “health care institutions, physicians and other clinicians around America to improve patient care and strengthen institutions’ and clinicians’ administrative and financial health,” according to a prepared statement by CHP’s board.
The statement said Spiliotes “has also worked with other FQHCs, their administrators and boards to develop new strategies and evaluate operations.”
“CHP began discussions with the Cambridge Management Group in late 2014, as part of an internal management review process,” according to the statement. “CMG has helped many health care organizations engage physicians in setting clinical priorities, while strengthening organizations’ administrative and financial health.”
“We could not be more pleased with Ms. Spiliotes professional expertise in reframing business challenges and building collaborations within organizations’ leaderships and staff,” said Jodi Rathbun-Briggs, CHP board President. “CHP will benefit from her track record of aligning resources to optimize patient care and strengthen organizational health.”
“Ms. Spiliotes has previously served in advisory role in the biopharmaceuticals industry and with health care technology companies; she has extensive expertise in health care policy and regulatory issues. She also received a Robert Woods Johnson Foundation grant to develop interactive health-management tools for the Hispanic community. She earned a B.A., with a concentration in neuroscience, from Smith College and a M.Sc. in management from the Sloan School of Management at MIT.”
Four physicians wrote the organization’s federal funding entity HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) last month about alleged failures by Ayars and the board that physicians say could hinder their ability to deliver quality care. And pediatrician John Horan resigned several weeks before that, saying he had “completely lost trust in the administration and confidence in the board.” Horan had also accused CHP leadership of attempting to whitewash fallout from sexual harassment allegations made by the former Human Resources Director after she was fired when the administration learned she was about to speak out over allegations of sexual harassment. She has since filed a lawsuit with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) against Ayars and CHP.
That lawsuit is still in progress. MCAD, however, will not disclose case details until after adjudication. Upon her attorney’s advice, the former employee spoke on the condition her name not be used, in part because she is looking for another job. Attorney Michael Aleo of Northampton’s Lesser, Newman & Nasser LLP, said that his client was fired “unlawfully” for doing her job after getting “several complaints of workplace harassment from employees.” Aleo further said he and his client are not yet ready to make details of the claims public.
Former grant writer Ruth Dinerman had also resigned from CHP saying the administration’s operational strategy is “dangerous” to the organization. “It burns out physicians, destroys morale, and thus leaves CHP vulnerable to providers leaving. Each time one does, CHP takes a financial hit…administrative resources are tapped out. Providers are worn thin.” She added that these conditions may take a toll on funding.
Upon his resignation, Ayars wrote that he had considered resigning months earlier: “This decision comes after extensive consideration about the future direction and best interests of CHP.” He added that he hoped the decision would “alleviate certain internal discord, help to clear the air, and allow CHP to continue its excellent work on patient care and family services.”
CHP was founded by pediatrician Thomas Whitfield in 1975 to address a lack of access to medical care for rural children living in poverty. The organization has seen dramatic growth, from several thousand patients in 2003 to more than 14,000 today, and now has a annual budget of $12 million. All of its programs combined serve around 16,000 people in Berkshire County. CHP runs health centers in Great Barrington, Pittsfield and Lee, and will soon open centers in Adams and North Adams.
