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Jacobson resigns as hospital CEO
Published Saturday, March 29, 2008
Peter Jacobson
Peter Jacobson has resigned as chief executive officer of Lake Region Hospital in Fergus Falls after just 15 months on the job.
The Lake Region Healthcare Board of Trustees and Jacobson announced the move Friday afternoon.
Jacobson, who joined LRH in January 2007, will be pursuing other opportunities in the health care industry or other leadership positions.
“We plan to stay in the Fergus Falls community,” Jacobson said Friday afternoon.
Long-time hospital CFO and assistant administrator Ed Strand has been named acting administrator pending completion of a search for Jacobson’s successor. The Board of Trustees will engage in a study to develop a process for identifying and hiring replacement hospital leadership.
Jacobson, whose last day of work was Friday, joined Lake Region Healthcare in January 2007 as CEO, replacing long-time CEO Ed Mehl. Prior to joining Lake Region Hospital, Jacobson served as CEO of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Park Rapids.
“I appreciate the opportunity to work in the Fergus Falls medical community, and I’ve enjoyed the professional and personal relationships I’ve developed,” Jacobson said. “I wish the best for Lake Region Hospital, its staff and its physicians.”
Lake Region’s board chairman, Steve Rufer, expressed appreciation on behalf of the hospital board for Jacobson’s service to the hospital.
"We wish Peter the best of luck in his future endeavors,” Rufer said. “Peter’s dedication to the hospital and his energy and enthusiasm for the betterment of the health care community will be missed."
The hospital said the Board of Trustees and Jacobson plan to work together to effect a smooth and efficient transition of the hospital’s leadership.
A native of Grand Forks, N.D., Jacobson had family ties to Otter Tail County.
“I spent my summers at Otter Tail Lake,” Jacobson said when hired in January 2007. “As a child, I always thought Fergus Falls would be a great place to live.”
The Jacobson family will have an opportunity to continue living in Fergus Falls. Jacobson’s wife Ann is a pastor at Hope Lutheran Church in Fergus Falls. The couple has three children.
Under Jacobson’s leadership Lake Region Hospital gained national attention. In August 2007 LRH was named among the Thomson 100 Top Hospitals in recognition of health care centers that improved the most from 2001 to 2005. Lake Region Hospital was also included in Thomson’s top 20 small community hospitals in the United States.
Editor Jeff Hage contributed to this story.
Comments
The Daily Journal is happy to host community conversations about news and life in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area. As hosts, we expect guests will show respect for each other. That means we don't threaten or defame each other, and we keep conversations free of personal attacks. Witty is great. Abusive is not. If you think a post violates these standards, don't escalate the situation. Instead, flag the comment to alert us. We'll take action if necessary. It's not hard. This should be a place where people want to read and contribute -- a place for spirited exchanges of opinion. So those who persist with racist, defamatory or abusive postings risk losing the privilege to post at all.Posted by smalltowngal (anonymous) on March 29, 2008 at 8:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Lake Region Hospital is a great place to work! I'm proud to be an employee, as I know the professional and loving care that is provided by the staff to the patients. I would like to clarify one point in this news release: It was under Ed Mehl's leadership, from the years 2001 to 2006, that LRH was awarded the prestigious honor of "Thomson 100 Top Hospital's" in the entire nation.
Posted by tomsmom (anonymous) on March 29, 2008 at 8:16 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Actually, smalltowngal, the award is given for improvements incurred during the years 2001-2005. It was awarded in 2006. Copy/paste the posted link and it lets you view the criteria and the hospitals that recieved the award:
http://provider.thomsonhealthcare.com/Ne....
I was employed at LRH from 2000-2003 and as far as RN positions go in Fergus, it was good. Nursing acuity was quite high, in my opinion, but other than that it was okay. I am not familiar with Mr. Jacobson, but I think that it would be a hard job to undertake; leading a relatively small rural hospital against all of the neighboring competition, both small and large, would not be an easy endeavor.
Posted by Thomas (anonymous) on March 29, 2008 at 8:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mr. Jacobson did a good job as head of Lake Region Hospital. He was very congenial with the general public. Nurses and staff I have spoken to also said he was a friendly CEO and and was very good at overseeing the overall operations of the hospital...we wish he and his family the very best.
Posted by hkbk (anonymous) on March 30, 2008 at 4:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What a sad day for the Fergus Falls medical delivery system. Peter was and still is a vibrant and knowlegeable hospital administrator ,who if given time and resources could make a difference in any community and the health care that is provided to its citizens.
Along with change comes some hard personal feelings and a new way of doing business but sometimes so changes have to be faced.
It would be really a sad affair if for the community if personal issues were involved in his decision to leave .
Peter did an outstanding job in Park Rapids and I was sorry to see he and his family leave and then to see this happen to him. The community and the hospital ought to be ashamed of themselves for letting him resign.
Posted by Newshound (anonymous) on March 30, 2008 at 4:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I hold the Hospital and the Clinic in very high regard, and I have been in some pretty fancy places. I know none of the players here, but I sincerely hope this sudden resignation is not an indication that things are not "well" in our local medical community. We have some exellent docs, wonderful nursing staff, technicians etc and should be proud of what this little community supports.
Perhaps some other resignations might be appropriate at this time too. Just a thought.
Posted by canitbe (anonymous) on March 30, 2008 at 4:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I seriously hope that Fergus Falls and the surrounding communities don't really think that this man resigned his position. This board of trustees must think that everyone is stupid to believe that a CEO will just up and resign immediately with no transition plan in place to a new administration.
Don't kid yourself if you think that he will actually be included in the process moving forward.
It's funny how they tried to spin doctor this press release into making it sound better than it was. It's obvious that there was difference in opinion and direction of this medical system.
It's a sad day for the community that progress in improving our local medical system has been undermined. If you know anyone who works in the LRHC system, and who doesn't, you know that there were positive changes on the horizon.
Unless the committee is willing to come clean with the public on the real deal they will continue to lose patients to Fargo, Alex, etc.. They will continue to lose quality doctors, surgeons, and nurses as well.
It's seems that the real changes need to be made at the board level. I hope they don't get paid for their services.
Posted by gumball (anonymous) on March 30, 2008 at 6:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How about Steve Rufer responding. He's the chairman of the board. If it was a difference in philosophy, direction, etc. then the board should say so. It's better than letting rumors run wild in town. So Steve, What's the real deal?
Posted by dlh (anonymous) on March 30, 2008 at 6:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have known Peter Jacobson for a number of years. He is among the best of the best in healthcare leadership. He is a man of integrity whose primary goal in his leadership positions has been to improve the emperience for patients, employees and physicians. This is a tremendous loss for Lake Region Healthcare and the Fergus Falls community. I wonder if the Board of Trustees realizes what they have lost. My guess is that they do not. That's the real tragedy. My sympathies to the patients, employees and physicians of Lake Region Healthcare. They have lost a great leader.
Posted by hkbk (anonymous) on March 30, 2008 at 7:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have been in health care for 32 years and worked with Peter as a board member at a previous hospital. He was an exemplery administrator and was respected and well liked by our medical staff, hospital employees, and the entire community. He had a vision for health care and moved our hospital forward both in patient quality and financially. I am truly glad that he and his family are staying in the Fergus Falls area because they truly are a wonderful addition to any community.
Posted by cheif (anonymous) on March 30, 2008 at 8 p.m.
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Posted by pilsnerurquel (anonymous) on March 30, 2008 at 8:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The Lake Region Hospital terrifies me. I've had one too many bad experiences there. Too bad this guy was forced to leave. Maybe he was on his way to changing the way they did business and they didn't like it? Unfortunate.
Posted by tedthedeadhead (anonymous) on March 30, 2008 at 9:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was very familiar with the job he did for the Park Rapids Hospital/Clinic and know he was very well liked at this facility. He was indeed trying to make progressive changes for Lake Region Hospital in Fergus Falls. Once again this town shoots down progressive thinking and only relies on the thoughts of a few who think they are important. I believe they call them "the powers that be"? What a joke!
Posted by phoebe (anonymous) on March 31, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Wow! I was totally shocked when I heard the news. Peter was such a personable CEO. I felt that changes were going in a positive direction. Now as an employee I feel like we are kind of left hanging and don't know what kind of leadership will follow. I would like to see Peter Jacobson as the director of Mill Street Residence. Thanks Peter for all you have done!
Posted by Samantha (anonymous) on March 31, 2008 at 1:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I've resided in FF most of my life and have seen how this city has flourished. This is due, in part, to some aggressive and well educated individuals who have taken pains to help develop our beautiful city. These may or may not be the individuals who made this decision, but I can honestly say that if they had a part in it, it was a deserved move. Mr. J. may have done a decent job at his previous employment, but one must wonder why he left that position and if now he got in way over his head. This also is not a decision that was made without employee input, the ones who are behind the scenes every day.
Posted by tedthedeadhead (anonymous) on March 31, 2008 at 1:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Samantha,
YOU ARE WRONG! These people who you say have "helped Fergus grow" are the ones who inhibit any tangible growth! Take Alexandria, Fargo/Moorhead, or even Perham for example and it is obvious we have not grown in the least. If you are one of the people who thinks Arby's and the Pizza Ranch is growth you may need to reanalyze your opinion.
Posted by FergusFamily (anonymous) on March 31, 2008 at 2:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In Mr. Jacobson Fergus Falls had a CEO who was well respected, a team player and a contributing member of this community. He gave us hope that with a college (making poor decision) and a public school board (making poor decisions) that perhaps there was the possibility of keeping our head above water. I seriously doubt that's going to happen any time soon. We are in a downward spiral. Has anyone paid attention to how many "FOR SALE" signs are up around town? Thank you Peter - and good luck. Thinking of staying here? I say - run!
Posted by concerned08 (anonymous) on March 31, 2008 at 2:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)
FergusFamily,
Just curious as to what you have done to better this community. Maybe you have done some things, obviously I don't know. But it seems that there are a lot of people that comment on here that don't invest their selves and time into this community, but instead they take time to trash it and be little those that invest themselves. This is unrelated to the above story. Just to add my 2 cents on that, I think Peter is a great guy and I think this whole things seems a little weird. There's clearly somethings happening behind the curtains here.
Posted by cwcabin (anonymous) on March 31, 2008 at 3:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I had the good fortune to work with Peter Jacobson for nearly four years at St. Joseph's in Park Rapids. His progressive thinking, coupled with his constant desire to improve the lives of our patients, employees and the community as a whole, were traits that made him a stellar leader. He never let us rest on our laurels, but coached and prodded us to be the best we could be - day in and day out. Anyone that does not see his departure from Lake Region Healthcare as a significant loss is extremely shortsighted. Peter's integrity, vision, communication and leadership skills will be extremely difficult to replace.
Posted by blund (anonymous) on March 31, 2008 at 7:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am very sad to see such a nice and well liked person as Peter Jacobson leave Lake Region Hospital. I had surgery in Park Rapids at St. Joseph's Hospital and all the staff couldn't say enough nice things about Peter and his family. I wish Peter all the best!
Posted by hkbk (anonymous) on March 31, 2008 at 8:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
To tedthedeadhead what a fitting name to someone who makes comments like you. That is why good people who try to make a change for the better continuely beat theie heads against the wall. Maybe someday when you go to an inferior hospital you will remember Peter and what might have been. Good luck in the future for you and Fergus "Falls" which it seems to be doing.
Posted by Tmalve (anonymous) on April 1, 2008 at 3:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
13yr employee of LRHC. I thought Mr. Jacobson was a very personable CEO. During his 15mos of leadership I seen and talked to him more than Mr. Mehl. Mr. Jacobson came in on the night to deliver goodies during special events, something Mr. Mehl never did during my years. This was greatly appreciated by the NIGHT staff. If the Board of Trustees "appreciated his Dedication to the Hospital, energy and enthusiasm for the betterment of the Healthcare community" then why is he no longer the leader. He did not Resign, more like "Forced" to. I think he "was" going to make changes that the "Doctors" did not like, so what happens they gang up on him and force him to resign. Is the next CEO supposed to be the "puppet" for the "puppet masters". Why would he willing resign after only 15mos. If the Board is looking for someone to fill Mr. Mehls long term shoes, they will be without a leader. I do not know what Mr. Jacobsons Long Range plan was, do not think he was here to "Run the Corp. into the ground". When interviewing did they not know what Mr. Jacobsons goals were for the Corp. These Board members have been with Mehl for many years, they are going to have to accept that a New CEO is going to have "Different Leadership Skills". I think this was a BAD move for LRHC. I wish Mr. Jacobson and his family the BEST.
Posted by tedthedeadhead (anonymous) on April 1, 2008 at 8:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
HKBK, You obviously missed my point. In both my posts I am stating Peter was doing a great job for this hospital and if you cant read between the lines to figure this out than you again have missed the point. As for commenting on my name? At least I dont have simple letters to hide behind! Let me know when you want to try again. Thanks
Posted by k123 (anonymous) on April 1, 2008 at 9:48 a.m.
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Posted by iloveottertaillake (anonymous) on April 1, 2008 at 10:11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I have lived all over Minnesota, and have doctored at Meritcare in Fargo, CentraCare in St. Cloud, Fairview in Minneapolis, and the big ‘ol Mayo. Let me be the first to tell you folks: You apparently don’t know how good you have it. The doctors, nurses, and staff at Lake Region and the Clinic have been more competent, professional, and genuinely caring than any other I have worked with. As for this hubbub over the administrator leaving: These things happen. It likely wasn’t a big scandal or a big failure, but probably a difference in business philosophy. And with a large organization like this, it’s better to cut your losses early and change direction if the board could see things were not going in the direction they envisioned. I know Peter, who is as kind and friendly a person as you will ever meet. I also know several of the board members, many of whom have served this hospital, without pay, for over 20 years. They are genuinely good people, who love this organization, who want the best for our community and their staff, who would not have made this decision without a good reason, and who would not take a decision like this very lightly. If anything the board should be commended on having one of the few financially stable, growing, successful independent hospitals in outstate Minnesota. This is no small feat. And sometimes decisions like the one made last week have to be made in order to maintain this stability.
Posted by Kloob (anonymous) on April 1, 2008 at 12:57 p.m.
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Posted by mabelsdaisy (anonymous) on April 1, 2008 at 1:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
iloveottertaillake, point taken and well written! The doctors at LRHC are great and should be commended for their service to the community and the hospital. I will however agree to disagree about the actions of the hospital board.
Posted by gemmimi (anonymous) on April 1, 2008 at 1:09 p.m.
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Posted by Granny (anonymous) on April 1, 2008 at 3:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Since this is a medical page WHERE ARE ALL OUR DOCTORS GOING????
We are so short Dr's it is really sad.
Posted by k123 (anonymous) on April 1, 2008 at 8:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why was my post removed by staff?????
Posted by k123 (anonymous) on April 1, 2008 at 8:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Seems to me if you say anything negative against Mr. Jacobson the site staff removes it. Nice going Daily Journal - why don't we present both sides instead of slanting it your way.
Posted by Whatsupwiththat (anonymous) on April 1, 2008 at 9:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The truth should come out about behind the board's decision. There are many LRH employees wondering about the integrity of the board. Mr. Jacobson was doing a wonderful job of leading the hospital in the right direction. He was well respected by many people. Kudos to you, Mr. Jacobson, for wanting to stay in this community. Hopefully you will get an administrative position that proves what you can do and what LRH is missing out on. Best of luck to you and your family.
Posted by k123 (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 8:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Perhaps Mr. Jacobson was not doing a good job, figure it out! It is amazing how all the people who do not work at the hospital just know he was doing a good job. If he was doing a good job he wood still be at the hospital. He may have been personable, but that has nothing to do with his job performance.
Posted by eripsni (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 8:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Everyone I know who works at the hospital thinks he was great. K123, maybe that's why we think he was doing a good job? "Wood" you please tell us why you think he WASN'T doing a good job?
Posted by mabelsdaisy (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 10:35 a.m.
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Posted by gemmimi (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 10:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why was my post also removed by site staff?
Posted by gemmimi (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 10:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I apologize if I offended anyone; that was not my intent.
Posted by k123 (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 11:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Eripsni - So quick to point out a spelling error. I work at the hospital so maybe you don't know as many people who work here as I do. So "wood" you say I might know more than you do????
Posted by Kloob (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 11:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I guess you can't post opinions anymore that look at both sides of an issue. Way to follow the 1st Amendment Daily Journal....last time I checked, the 1st Amendment is what keeps you in business.
Posted by FergusFamily (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 12:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Reporting is very different from graffiti. I think the DJ blog "opportunities" do a huge disservice to Fergus Falls. Non-residents who might be considering relocating here look at web sites like this. If we want to truly help this community grow and prosper, we should consider how we are perceived and encourage others to WANT to live here.
The newspaper is a private business - people may choose to read it or advertise in it. That's freedom of choice. I read it for factual reporting, not the rantings of uninformed citizens (myself included)!
Posted by Kloob (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 12:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If you don't want analytical and sometimes critical responses, then don't provide a Comments board. It's that simple.
Posted by Kloob (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 12:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
FergusFamily, so in essence you are saying that we should cover up how people that actually live in the community feel by not allowing freedom of opinion on these message boards? So we should put up a big facade that FF is "Perfectville" and trick people into wanting to come live in FF? I would think people thinking about moving to FF would want to hear the pros and cons, not just what you think is desirable.
Posted by lifterpuller (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 1:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
As usual showing up late to the party to put in my two cents; completely unrelated to the topic of the thread. In regard to posts being removed, I believe it is the stance of the journal that anyone that appears to be "flaming" the message boards will generally get the offending post removed. It's not that we don't want differing opinions, in fact far from it. As has already been stated, first amendment rights are what makes it possible to do what we do. But with that stated, these message boards are housed on private servers for commercial use. Just like a brick and mortar business, "we reserve the right to refuse service". The message boards are an invaluable tool in accessing the opinions of our readers and the community at large, and can be a great place for civilized and thought out discourse on the topic at hand. However basically if you can't steer clear of posting inflammatory comments, you're going to be disappointed when your post is inevitably removed. If you do have a post removed try to think of why it could possibly have been removed and maybe try to steer away from whatever it is you wrote to get your post removed. Sorry to be so unclear, but as I don't know what you posted, I feel the need to give a blanket answer as no one else has yet. To clarify, ANALYTICAL AND CRITICAL RESPONSES ARE GREAT, but let's steer clear of being argumentative and inflammatory for the sake of being argumentative and inflammatory. (sorry for the dissertation/threadjack)
Posted by gemmimi (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 2:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I am sorry but my comment was so far from "flamming," I wrote it to be non-biased. I am very sad by the way the newspaper has handled this. It is one thing to report the news but another thing to only report it how you want it to be seen and read.
Posted by lifterpuller (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 2:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't know what you wrote, and I'm sure that you didn't mean for it to come off as inflammatory, however it's more than possible that one or more people construed it as such. Or you could have quoted or responded to someone else's inflammatory statement, in which case, all offending data would more than likely need to be removed. Just a guess.
Posted by Kloob (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 3:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Whatever lifterpuller. Just don't have Comment boards if you don't want honest feedback. Not everyone has a vanilla take on every subject.
I'm all for deleting malicious, vulgar, or inappropriate jests aimed at others, but honest critical feedback should be left up. The DJ has not been doing that, thus making it lose credibility.
Posted by Whatsupwiththat (anonymous) on April 2, 2008 at 9:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Fergus Falls... step up to the plate. Peter Jacobson and his family came to this community looking for new opportunities. However you perceive the situation, if this is such a great community, time to SHOW IT. Show your support.
Posted by Tmalve (anonymous) on April 3, 2008 at 1:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think posts are removed whenever someone selects "Suggest removal". Have had posts removed that did not contain anything offensive.
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