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Franklin County reappoints five trustees to Ransom Memorial Hospital board
Summary
After hearing from eight applicants, Franklin County commissioners moved to reappoint five incumbent trustees — Eric Duderstadt, Betty Burzer, John Cohen, Dr. Frank and Crystal Anderson — to the Ransom Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees during their Dec. 18 meeting.
Franklin County commissioners reappointed five members to the Ransom Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees at their Dec. 18 meeting, approving the reappointments after public interviews with several applicants.
The commission voted to reappoint Eric Duderstadt, Betty Burzer, John Cohen, Dr. Frank and Crystal Anderson to five trustee seats, filling the county’s allotment of seats on the hospital board. Commissioners discussed a slate of eight applicants before nominations narrowed to the incumbents; the motion to reappoint the five incumbents passed during the meeting.
Why it matters: The hospital board oversees the county’s tax-funded support for the local hospital and acts as a community liaison to hospital management. Commissioners and applicants framed the appointments around continuity during a leadership transition at the hospital and efforts to restore services such as a birthing unit.
Candidates and remarks: County staff said eight people applied for five seats and that several applicants were present to speak. Crystal Anderson, who said she has served on the hospital board for five years, told commissioners, “I’ve been on the board for 5 years and I feel like I am still learning so much,” and said she wanted to continue advocating for low-income families in the county when allocating tax funds.
Long-serving trustee John Cohen described his 27 years on the hospital board and his role on the corporate AdventHealth board, saying the affiliation with AdventHealth helped the hospital survive the COVID-19 pandemic. “I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into that hospital of 27 years. I’d like to continue,” Cohen said.
Applicants who spoke in support of service included Jeanette Garrett, Norman Griffiths and Richard Jackson, each describing community ties and experience in governance, finance or public relations that they said would benefit the board.
Process and deliberations: Commissioners conducted a round of nominations before a motion to reappoint the five incumbents was offered and seconded. Commissioners emphasized two themes in discussion: (1) continuity while new hospital leadership arrives and (2) the board’s role as an advocate to the community rather than day-to-day hospital management. Commissioners noted the local board’s primary formal responsibility is allocation of the county sales tax dedicated to the hospital; several commissioners described the trustee roles as chiefly stewarding those funds and serving as public liaisons.
Dr. Frank was not present at the meeting because he was seeing patients; staff said he provided a written statement that could be placed in the record if the commission wished.
Outcome: The commission approved the reappointments. The motion and recorded roll-call included votes in favor by the five commissioners present; the reappointments carried.
What’s next: The reappointed trustees remain in place as the hospital onboards new executive leadership and continues recruitment to restore clinical services mentioned during the meeting, including the hospital birthing unit.
