SoutheastHEALTH executive VP Jim Limbaugh leaves organization

SoutheastHEALTH confirmed Wednesday that Jim Limbaugh, who was executive vice president of planning and business development, is no longer with the organization.

Limbaugh was hired for the position in 2009 after serving as chairman of the hospital's board and a long career in banking. The circumstances surrounding his departure from SoutheastHEALTH remain unrevealed.

Shauna Hoffman, director of marketing for SoutheastHEALTH, said by email Wednesday the organization's human resources policies "do not allow us the liberty to comment any further regarding his status and related information," in reply to an inquiry from the Southeast Missourian.

Hoffman said in a later phone call Wednesday that employees may speak about leaving their positions at will, but from the hospital's perspective, as an employer, it is not able to comment.

Limbaugh did not return telephone calls seeking comment Wednesday evening.

The change comes just weeks after the retirement of SoutheastHEALTH CEO Wayne Smith, which happened a few months earlier than planned because of his personal health challenges. The organization's chief financial officer, John Skeans, is serving as interim CEO while a search for a new CEO takes place.

Other changes in the hospital's management this year have included simultaneous departure announcements in April by Hugh King, who was CFO for four years, and Dr. Dennis Means, vice president and chief medical officer for two years. In April, King was replaced by Bruce Fairbanks, former CFO for a Dallas medical center. Skeans followed in the CFO position starting in August. Dr. Matt Shoemaker, SoutheastHEALTH's vice president of physician services, took on Means' responsibilities as chief medical officer in an internal move.

SoutheastHEALTH in the past has issued releases and statements regarding members of senior management leaving their positions in some instances -- a news release about the departure of King and Means wished the men well in their futures and expressed gratitude for their work.

Likewise, the announcement from the hospital on behalf of the board of directors on Smith's retirement laid out plans for Skeans to serve as interim CEO, information on the search for a replacement and a thank-you to Smith for service and leadership.

For another management change, hospital board members declined to comment on an individual's employment. When CEO Debbie Linnes left SoutheastHEALTH in 2011, she cited "differences in management philosophy" in a hospital-issued statement on her resignation, and a board member said there were "some issues over a period of time," but declined to comment further, citing the privacy required by the organization when dealing with personnel matters.

A member of the board of directors reached by phone Wednesday evening declined to comment on Limbaugh's departure and deferred to the hospital's human resources director and CEO.

Linnes hired Limbaugh as an executive vice president when she became CEO in 2009. His responsibilities in the position, according to a Southeast Missourian story at the time, included "marketing, public relations, business development, strategic growth and planning, foundation fund development and advocacy on behalf of the hospital."

Jim Limbaugh is a member of the well-known Cape Girardeau Limbaugh family. His brother is Missouri Supreme Court Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., and he is the son of former U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Sr. and grandson of Rush Limbaugh Sr., for whom the federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau is named.

Limbaugh also has served on Southeast Missouri State University's regents' board and foundation board.

eragan@semissourian.com

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