Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Brian Catron of Mason Health Care has been given an unexpected vacation, bringing an end to his leadership at the residential retirement center on the Kosciusko Community Hospital campus.
Catron was escorted from the building Monday morning, two weeks before the resignation he tendered March 5 was to officially end his employment with Mason.
"I was informed this morning that they had found my replacement and that my services weren't required any longer," Catron said Monday. "It's not totally a bad thing - I get some time off before I start my new job on April 12."
Catron said Mason will continue to pay him through April 4.
According to Julie Bower, vice president of the Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation, which currently owns Mason, the move was a logical development, given Catron's resignation, and will have no effect on the imminent sale of the facility. Catron will be replaced by Jim Cross, of Kendallville, who served as the administrator of the facility from 1988 to 1991.
Cross has 15 years experience in the long-term health care industry. Through is company, Rent An Interim, he works as an independent consultant and interim administrator of other residential health care operations in the process of transition prior to taking the interim position at Mason. Cross is also a monitor of residential facilities for the Indiana State Department of Health.
"This is rather commonplace in the health care industry," Bower said. "Brian had given us his resignation that took effect on April 4 and we wanted to ensure continuity."
Mason will host a meeting with staff and families of the residents tonight at 7 p.m. to introduce Cross and give an update on the status of the impending sale.
The three firms remaining in competition as the eventual purchaser are Miller Health Care Systems, managers of 31 other state retirement homes in Indiana under the name of Miller Merry Manors; Kingston Health Care and TLC Health Care Systems.
