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Times
The Vol. 120, No. 2
Serving
Blooming Prairie and the
Four-County Area since 1893
Steele County’s Only Community Weekly Newspaper
FINALLY, SILENCE BROKEN
Unrest flares up again at Prairie Manor By RICK BUSSLER Publisher
is accepting my resignation,” Johnson said. “I told her I haven’t resigned, but she said it’s your last day.” Deidra At about Burke 11:45 a.m. Johnson quietly walked out the door—the second administrator to leave under a cloud in less than six months. The previous administrator had been at the center for about 14 years. Burke’s attorney has a different account of what happened. “Mr. Paulson informed Deidra that Susan intended to resign,” Kritzer said. “Deidra felt that rather than keep someone who wants to resign, it should be made effective now.” Nursing homes in Minnesota must be operated by a licensed administrator. Johnson is licensed, but Burke is not. Johnson said state statute requires that the administrator of nursing homes is responsible for day to day operations. “Unfortunately, Burke Management did not allow me the opportunity to do that, which concerned me,” she said. As administrator, Johnsons aid she had no authority at Prairie Manor even though her license would be on the hook if issues were to arise. She said all authority at the center has been in the hands of Burke. Said Johnson: “With no authority, I’m just really at risk. My license is on the line. I didn’t want to expose my license to this any longer.” State law seems to verify Johnson’s concerns. The law states a nursing home must designate a licensed administrator to be in immediate charge of the operation and administration of the home. It goes on to say individuals must have authority to carry out the provisions of the law and must be charged with the responsibility of doing so. Former administrator Robinson agrees that an administrator is solely responsible for running a nursing home. “The board gives you governance, but the administrator carries on the day to day operations,” he said. During her short tenure, Johnson maintains she was never allowed to attend board meetings.
The abrupt departure last week of the top administrator who had been on the job for only four months is creating tense turmoil once again at Prairie Manor Care Center in Blooming Prairie. Susan Johnson left suddenly last Wednesday after she secretly met with some board members to express concerns with the administrative structure of the nonprofit organization, according to sources close to the situation. She had taken over in February after the previous administrator, Mark Robinson, was fired in January. It’s unclear exactly why Johnson walked out the door as there are conflicting accounts of what happened. Johnson told The Times she was fired by Deidra Burke of Burke Management, which is the firm hired in January by the board to run the center. However, Burke’s attorney, Jeff Kritzer of Austin, maintains Johnson quit on her own accord. “Our position is she resigned,” Kritzer said. “She gave an oral statement to the board members.” Johnson said, “At no time did I hand in my resignation.” She said when she asked Burke if she was being terminated, Burke responded, “You can look at it any way you want. This is your last day.” The situation began escalating last Tuesday when Johnson had a private meeting with some of Prairie Manor’s board members, according to Kritzer. “It was a meeting that Susan Johnson requested and more than one board member was involved,” he said. One of the members at the meeting was board chair Richard Paulson, Kritzer said. Johnson confirmed she met with some people, but declined to specify who they were. She said she had a meeting to express concerns about the administrative structure at Prairie Manor. While at the meeting, Johnson said her concerns were so serious that she initially talked about not being able to continue at the care center. But, by the end, she was asked to not resign, she said. The next day Burke came into Prairie Manor and called Johnson into her office confronting her about the meeting with board members. “She told me things will not change here and that she
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With no authority, I’m just really at risk. My license is on the line. I didn’t want to expose my license to this any longer.
”
-Susan Johnson
Former Prairie Manor Administrator
By RICK BUSSLER Publisher
The only time she had contact with the board was in March when she was introduced to the board. But even then she wasn’t involved in the business meeting, she said. Asked if she was intentionally sheltered from the board, Johnson replied: “No response.” In fact, Johnson last week could not even identify names of who was on the board. She said it is troubling to her to not know the board members. Johnson said it is undesirable for an administrator to have no involvement with the board. Robinson agrees. “It would be highly unusual for an administrator to not have access to the board,” he said. While Johnson was administrator, she found Burke was calling the shots even though she was hardly ever there. She said she saw Burke in the building only four or five times in four months. “My primary concern was as
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Deidra Burke has always been in charge. The board hired her to be the independent manager of the facility.
”
-Jeff Kritzer
Attorney for Deidra Burke
the administrator, I was responsible for day to day operations; however, I had no authority to do so,” Johnson said. Asked if she felt like a puppet to Burke, Johnson replied: “No comment.” Johnson has a long history with Prairie Manor as she was the director of nursing for 12 years prior to leaving for other positions in Albert Lea, New Richland and Two Harbors. She was excited to return to Blooming Prairie in February. “The opportunity to come
back to Prairie Manor as administrator was such a positive in my life,” she said, noting she has lots of loyalty to the center. “I wish I was still there.” Prairie Manor has had a “wonderful reputation” for years, Johnson said. “It is a five star facility and there aren’t many of them around in the surrounding counties.”
SILENCE BROKEN
Continued on Page A7
Settlement reached in suit by fired worker By RICK BUSSLER Publisher
A lawsuit filed against Prairie Manor Nursing Home by a former worker has been settled with the help of a mediator. Cindy Robinson had been working at Heather Haus in Blooming Prairie when she was abruptly fired in January during a flurry of controversy involving Prairie Manor and four top managers. Robinson’s husband, Mark, had been administrator of the center when he was fired just a week prior. She previously had been told her termination was part of the reorganization and because residents were upset that she was upset, presumably due to her
husband being fired. “We went to mediation and the case was settled to our satisfaction,” Mark told The Times on behalf of his wife. “We now have closure and we can put it behind us and move on,” he said. The mediation session was held June 19 at the Steele County Courthouse in Owatonna. No specific details of the settlement were revealed. Cindy was represented in the case by David Schlensinger, a Twin Cities attorney specializing in employment law. There were separate attorneys for Prairie Manor and Burke Management, the Blooming Prairie company managing the center, according to Mark.
M a r k said his wife is still looking for employment after being fired. Mark has joined the Mark Homestead Robinson at Rochester as its executive director. Homestead has 175 residents in a facility of assisted living and independent living. Mark did not take any legal action against Prairie Manor in regards to his sudden dismissal that created unrest at the center for several weeks.
Timeline of unrest at Prairie Manor July 2011
Jan. 10
2012
Two board members resigned immediately after a board meeting, accusing other board members of being “on a witch hunt” for the administrator’s job.
The board FIRES four top managers as part of a “restructuring management plan.” Management consultant Deidra Burke of Blooming Prairie named interim administrator. The board makes no public statement about what is going on.
Turmoil angers some workers
Jan. 17
Jan. 31
Former administrator Mark Robinson’s wife, Cindy, was FIRED from Heather Haus “as part of a reorganization and because residents were upset that she was upset.”
FIRED assistant nursing director Pam Fate speaks out saying, “I didn’t do anything to deserve this.”
Editor’s Note: The “worker” and “spouse” interviewed in this story are not married to each other. The spouse is married to another worker, who did not participate in this interview. After the second administrator left abruptly in less than six months, some employees of the Prairie Manor Care Center in Blooming Prairie are expressing outrage about the management of the facility. Workers and spouses of workers have contacted The Times with concerns specifically aimed at the board of directors and Deidra Burke, the management consultant hired to get the turmoil under control back in January.
TURMOIL
Continued on Page A7
Who’s on the Prairie Manor Board? Many citizens have wondered who makes up the board governing the Prairie Manor Care Center in Blooming Prairie. Prairie Manor is a separate non-profit entity governed by representatives from six local churches. The board of trustees include: First Baptist Church Represented by: Tom Johnson Blooming Prairie St. Columbanus Catholic Represented by: Mary Malherek Blooming Prairie Trinity Lutheran Represented by: Rich Paulson Owatonna Red Oak Grove Lutheran Represented by: Herman Beede Blooming Prairie First Lutheran Represented by: Sandy Novak Blooming Prairie St. Mary’s Catholic Represented by: Mildred Thissen Minneapolis
Feb. 21
June 26
June 27
Susan Johnson of Ellendale is hired as new a d m i n i s t r a t o r. Board members remain mum on situation.
Administrator Susan Johnson secretly meets with some board members without the knowledge of Deidra Burke.
Johnson claims she is FIRED by Deidra Burke for her secret conversations with some board members.
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