VIDALIA &045; Complaining about things from her dismissal from the emergency room to the hospital dcor, Concordia Parish coroner and physician Dr. Sarah Lee leveled some serious allegations against the hospital board Monday night.

While many of her concerns were about her dismissal, Lee &045; who is the parish coroner &045; also said she is worried about the hospital’s economic future and its leadership.

Lee was dismissed from the Riverland emergency room by Emergency Staffing Solutions, the contractor through whom doctors are employed.

In a letter, Lee said, ESS told her she would not be rescheduled for the emergency room because of complaints from both patients and hospital staff.

But Lee was told by ESS she could work in any of its other hospitals &045; and she told police jurors she believes &uot;someone at the hospital told ESS not to schedule me.&uot;

Larry McManus, chairman of Riverland’s board, said when contacted Tuesday that he had nothing to do with Lee’s dismissal, &uot;and (Lee) knows that. It’s been discussed several times.

&uot;She worked for ESS, and they removed her from their service (at Riverland) for justifiable reasons. They conduct their business professionally and wouldn’t have done it unless there was just cause.&uot;

McManus said the hospital board doesn’t meddle in ESS’ business. &uot;We traditionally let the medical staff handle the medical services of the hospital,&uot; he said.

Lee also stated during Monday’s meeting that the hospital does not have &uot;focused, progressive leadership.&uot;

Lee said the hospital needs improvements in facilities, noting some patients’ rooms are &uot;worse than their rooms at home.&uot; The hospital is undergoing a major roof replacement.

Lee noted that, like other rural hospitals, Riverland &045; which depends heavily on Medicare and Medicaid patients &045; is being forced to decrease admissions and length of care because of the cost.

&uot;When I made rounds (one day) in late February, you could almost hear an echo in the hallway,&uot; she said.

But Lee also said the leadership of the hospital is at fault. She pointed in particular to the chairman of the board, McManus, although she did not name him.

Lee made allegations of &uot;malfeasance&uot; and &uot;mingling of funds,&uot; although she did not mention any specific instances other than the hospital’s leasing of a building from a close friend of McManus.

&uot;She (Lee) was on the board when we leased the building to him, but it was strictly business,&uot; McManus said.

&uot;There have been no improprieties that I am aware of. And as far as malfeasance is concerned, I have no idea what she’s talking about other than to categorically deny it. No (board) member has committed any crime or taken money.&uot;

None of the police jurors asked any questions after Lee’s half-hour talk, but jury President Melvin Ferrington told Lee the jury is looking closely at the hospital.

&uot;We are going to continue looking at it very closely,&uot; he said, adding that the jury met in executive session with the hospital leadership recently. &uot;We agreed to give them three to six months&uot; to improve.

Ferrington did not elaborate on what the hospital would need to do to improve and could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.