NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Alive Hospice Board was supposed to vote Wednesday evening on whether to sell the longtime nonprofit to a for-profit company. That all changed late Tuesday.
That was when it was announced the vote was canceled after board leadership decided to keep Alive as it is and has always been — a nonprofit. While Alive would never confirm the sale, it had been rumored for weeks and prompted a grassroots movement that fought the rumored sale.
Members of the group "Keep Alive Alive" hugged and smiled in front of the Alive Hospice residence in midtown Wednesday.
"I’m elated I really am," the founder of Alive Hospice David Barton said.
"We were surprised and delighted and oh so grateful," an Alive nurse Heather Wills shared.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked Clark Baker who has been on the Alive board now for 14 years, "Had the voting gone ahead, how would you have voted?"
"I honestly don’t know," he said.
Baker said he was not legally allowed to discuss who made a bid for Alive, but he did reveal the board has considered a variety of offers the last three years, including at least one from a for-profit company.
"Alive would’ve been negligent in its responsibilities not to look into options, not to look into other ways of serving the community," he said.
But those who worked to stop the sale feared that dying patients and their families would suffer tremendously if a for-profit company took over, that Alive would no longer be able to provide the kind of care it's known for, including charity care.
For weeks, the group calling itself "Keep Alive Alive" called on the board to keep the organization a nonprofit.
They put up billboards on West End, started an online petition, and got stars like Tim McGraw and Faith Hill to write letters.
"How big of a role did that play do you think in this decision (to stay as a nonprofit)?" NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked Baker.
"I think it made a big difference," he replied.
Baker said the group's message to the board came through loud and clear.
But a day after what would normally be considered a big win for the group, their gathering was less a victory lap and more another call to action.
"It means I’m going to sleep at night," said Susan Simons, a former Alive board chair.
But Mary Falls, who has also served as chair of the Alive board, said, there was still a lot of work to do. The group is concerned about what they call a lack of transparency during the sale talks.
"I think it’s troubling that all of this has been done in the dark, and that as it kind of climaxed. It got even more secretive," Alive nurse Jessica Blagys said.
And the Keep Alive Alive members now say they do not trust Alive's leadership.
"We already called for the resignation of the CEO (Kimberly Goessele) and we are calling for that again today," former Alive board chair Liz Schatzlein said.
But board member Clark Baker defended Goessele.
"Kimberly has been a strong leader. She has brought us through this," he said.
He said he regrets the board had to stay quiet during negotiations. And to those who fought so hard for Alive, he wanted them to know the organization needs their passion and support more than ever.
He also wanted them to know they don't need to worry about the future of Alive, that the board recognized the overwhelming community support for keeping Alive an independent non-profit and likely won't consider selling it again anytime soon.
"The board is not interested at all so if anybody out there is thinking about making an offer or a bid, put it away. We are not for sale," Baker said.
Baker added that the cost of hospice care is continuing to climb and Alive depends on donations, especially to provide charity care. He hopes now that the sale issue has been settled, the community will continue to support Alive financially and be generous in the days, weeks and months ahead.
PREVIOUS REPORTING ON THIS STORY:
After rumors of sale, Alive Hospice to remain a nonprofit
We've got to stop it now. Advocates are running out of time to stop the sale of Alive Hospice
New coalition want to "Keep Alive Alive" and stop the sale of longtime nonprofit
Rumors swirl about the potential sale of Alive Hospice
