Temple hospital’s CEO cites success in announcing his intent to resign this year.
On July 1, after a hectic year for the Temple University Health System and a month-long nurses strike, Ed Notebaert, the president and CEO of TUHS and senior executive vice president of Health Sciences at Temple, announced his intention to resign.
“When I accepted this position in September 2008, I came with clear objectives and priorities to stabilize the health system and position it for success moving forward,” Notebaert said in a press release. “We have made tremendous progress, and the time is right to now look towards long-term executive leadership.”
The Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, the union that represents the Temple nurses, had different thoughts about Notebaert’s resignation.
“We really wanted him to leave,” said Jerry Silberman, PASNAP staff representative to the Temple nurses.
“By the end of the strike, there was significant dissatisfaction with him,” Silberman said. PASNAP nurses went on strike March 31 as a result of months of unsuccessful contract negotiations. The strike lasted 28 days.
“The guy’s 64 years old – I don’t think they were hiring him with the idea that he’d be here for 10 years,” Silberman said. “I don’t think he accomplished the mission they wanted him to accomplish because [closing Northeastern Hospital] cost Temple a lot of good will in Harrisburg.
“And he was supposed to significantly diminish our union – he did not accomplish that,” Silberman added. “He did not accomplish the terms and conditions they wanted him to impose on us, and he cost them a whole lot of money.
“And somewhere someone has to be thinking about whether or not it makes sense to continue to be taking such expensively antagonistic relations with their employees,” Silberman said.
TUHS said Notebaert’s resignation is a sign of his accomplishments, not failures.
“The board of trustees knew when Ed was recruited for this critical position that he was a skilled health care professional and change agent,” Patrick O’Connor, the chairman of Temple’s board of trustees, said in a press release. “He led the Temple Health enterprise through some difficult times.”
“Ed has many accomplishments during his tenure and raised the expectations of Temple’s health enterprise. I appreciate his commitment to Temple Health, our employees and patients,” Temple President Ann Weaver Hart said.
Notebaert will continue working until a replacement is found.
Valerie Rubinsky can be reached at valerie.rubinsky@temple.edu.
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