NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Late Thursday afternoon, staff at Nashville's Alive Hospice were notified that the CEO Kimberly Goessele would be stepping down from her role leading the nonprofit.
Shortly after that, the Board of Directors released a statement to the media announcing that Goessele had made the decision to leave the organization.
Goessele's departure comes just a week after the Board announced that it had decided to turn down offers to sell the nearly 50-year-old organization, one day before the Board was set to vote on a proposed deal.
While the board would not confirm the latest buyer, it was reportedly the for-profit healthcare company Amedysis.
Supporters and former board members organized to stop the sale, forming a group they called "Keep Alive Alive" and rallying the community to fight any effort to change Alive from a non-profit to a for-profit entity.
Keep Alive Alive — which includes current Alive staff members as well as the founders of Alive Hospice, Dr. David and Lynn Barton — believes that dying patients and their families would suffer if Alive were sold to a for-profit company as the organization would no longer be able to provide the extensive care and charity care that it's known for.
Members of Keep Alive Alive had called for Goessele to either resign or be fired as rumors of the sale swirled, yet neither Goessele nor the Board would comment on the potential sale for weeks leading up to it.
The calls for Goessele to be removed continued after the Board announced it would not be selling Alive. Keep Alive Alive believed she was behind the efforts to sell the organization though Board member Clark Baker told NewsChannel 5 Investigates last week that it was the board's responsibility to consider all options to keep the organization financially strong. Baker did however confirm that the board has been considering various options including selling Alive since Goessele joined Alive as CEO in 2019.
The Board said Thursday that Alive Chief Operating Officer Joe Hampe will serve as interim CEO and that Goessele will continue to work with Alive for several weeks to ensure a smooth transition.
ALIVE HOSPICE BOARD STATEMENT
"Alive is grateful to Kimberly for her service to the organization and to the people and community we serve. During the past four years, Kimberly has shepherded the organization through steady growth and significant change, most notably an unprecedented global pandemic that deeply impacted the lives of employees, patients and their families. We wish her the best in her future endeavors and appreciate her continuous support of Alive and its mission."
