Mass Medical Staff Forces Reversal of WhidbeyHealth CEO Firing; Commissioner Resigns

A dramatic confrontation at a WhidbeyHealth board meeting ended with the board rescinding its 3-2 vote to fire CEO Nathan Staggs after doctors, nurses and other medical staff packed the room and vocally opposed the action. The following day, Hospital Commissioner James Golder resigned, leaving Island County residents with questions about hospital leadership and oversight.

The meeting began with a vote by Commissioners James Golder, James Canby and Dr. Mark Borden to terminate Staggs, while Marion Jouas and Dr. Kirk Gasper voted against the motion. The move prompted an immediate backlash from the medical staff. Doctors, nurses and administrators criticized the board, threatened resignations and discussed recall elections while offering firm support for Staggs. At one point, the hospital’s executive team walked out of the meeting.

Several speakers framed the firing as a return to past leadership problems. Dr. Robert Johnson said, “Now you have a medical staff who actually likes the CEO, has increased their morale phenomenally. We’ve seen increased services, we’ve seen increased productivity and now you want to reverse course and go back to those type of CEOs? Are you kidding me? This is a hit job.” Marion Jouas apologized to Staggs and said, “There is no cause to terminate this CEO. …This is obviously a railroad job to remove the CEO. He has done great things here. Much of the medical staff is highly appreciative of him as is everyone in the hospital.”

Tensions centered on alleged retaliation and financial concerns. Staggs accused Golder of vendetta tactics, telling the board, “This is you retaliating against me for bringing up issues about you,” and warning, “So it’ll be handled in court.” Golder countered that his vote was driven by finances, saying, “I mean, you’re running this hospital into the ground,” and later warned that the hospital was near closing. Staggs called Golder’s claim that the hospital was more in debt today “a lie.”

CFO Paul Rogers provided a counterpoint on the hospital’s fiscal health, reporting that WhidbeyHealth had 27 days of cash on hand in December 2025, up from 11 days in December 2024. Those numbers undercut assertions that the hospital was on the brink of collapse and energized staff opposition.

The meeting spotlighted outside influence and potential procedural violations. HealthTech, the management-services firm working with the hospital, was represented by Dominic Symes, HealthTech’s executive vice president of staffing solutions and chief revenue officer. Symes attended an executive session and was accused by a staff member of orchestrating the action. Dr. Kirk Gasper said of the firing, “It was rammed through very quickly without any discussion, certainly without any way to prepare for it.” Gasper and audience members raised concerns that three commissioners communicated about hospital business outside a public meeting, a violation of the Open Public Meetings Act.

Board members briefly voted to name Gregory Rickner as interim CEO and to remove Jouas as board president, then reversed both actions before rescinding the termination. Dr. Mark Borden later said, “The numbers thrown in my face were enough to scare the heck out of me. I don’t want the hospital to close,” and described being in physical pain over the uproar as the meeting proceeded.

Former Commissioner Gregory Richardson called the staff and executive response “transformational.” For Island County residents, the episode underscores how critical governance is to local health services: Nathan Staggs’ leadership had been credited with improved morale and expanded services, and the board’s turmoil raises questions about continuity of care, transparency and future oversight. With James Golder’s resignation and talk of recalls and legal action, residents should expect more board meetings and public scrutiny as WhidbeyHealth seeks to steady its leadership and reassure the community it serves.