Columbia County Observer

LSHA: Meridian’s Don Savoie Brought a Dog & Pony Show To the Lake Shore Hosp Auth. Quality  of Meridian Care – Outcomes – Nobody’s Talking

July 12 2024  5:45 pm | 5 min read

By Stew Lilker

Photo: source unknown - fair use | Columbia County Observer graphic

• More LSHA stories are here.

COLUMBIA COUNTY, FL – On Monday evening’s Lake Shore Hospital Authority agenda was Meridian’s CEO Don Savoie. According to Authority Manager Dale Williams, nobody knew why Mr. Savoie wanted to be put on the agenda. No one was expecting an hour-long Meridian dog-and-pony show.

After a handful of public comments from members of the public – no one was in favor of Meridian occupying the vacated Authority hospital – CEO Savoie came to the podium.

Mr. Savoie began, “I've been before you guys probably a couple of dozen times... We've been on this project for two years. We've done town halls... I heard people say mental health is important, 'just not here.' That saddens me... we serve well over 25,000 people a year.”

Fact: Since March 2022, Mr. Savoie has appeared at the Authority one dozen times. Most of the time, he just sat in the audience. However, not one of those times had he addressed the complaints about Meridian’s quality of care, although recently, Mr. Savoie did discuss the complaints with Manager Williams.

The "Razor Wire Don' & Purported Salacious Comments

See: Razor Wire Around Meridian’s Proposed Mental Health Facility At Lake Shore Hospital? How Did We Get There?
Photo: Daniel Bernard via Unsplash | Columbia County Observer graphic

Mr. Savoie, addressing Board member Don Kennedy’s and other’s previous remarks about the proposed Meridian takeover of the vacated hospital,  continued, “I won't speak to salacious and uninformed comments that required me to speak to the Lake City Reporter [the home-town local print media]. I do feel that we've been on a trajectory of full education and understanding through this whole process. And I think that's absolutely true.”

Fact: definition of salacious, via Merriam-Webster: arousing or appealing to sexual desire or imagination. While some of the previous remarks may have been far-fetched, no one made salacious remarks.

The Don Savoie Meridian Dog and Pony Show Begins

CEO Savoie brought a surprise boatload of Meridian Board members to the meeting. It is unclear why Mr. Savoie did not bring any Board members to his appearance at the school board administration building almost a year-and-a-half ago.

Mr. Savoie could have advised the media of his Monday evening plans. He didn't. Instead, he preferred to keep his plans a secret. It is unknown if he advised the Authority Board members of the Meridian Board members' pending appearance.

Mr. Savoie introduced the Meridian Board with an Elmer Gantry moment: "They give of their time and their hearts."

Mr. Savoie mentioned, "Methadone services – outpatient services will not be provided at the hospital. It makes no sense to use a hospital building for that level of care."

Mr. Savoie encouraged everyone "to look at the proposal we put forward two years ago. Nothing has changed."

Read about the February 7, 2023, Authority meeting and what community leaders and Authority Board members had to say then.

Mr. Savoie claimed that he had given the Board "materials in the past" that show there was "no increase in crime as it relates to bringing the facility into the area." He continued, "If anything, you see it decrease some. Drug addicts do not want to be at a substance abuse or mental health facility... We've come a long way in the past two years on education and understanding."

"There are a lot of salacious comments come out, and they come out from ignorance or lack of understanding," said Mr. Savoie.

Four Meridian Board members addressed the Governor's Board.

Don "Razor Wire" Kennedy
"For a simple-minded person like myself... how can I get in?"

Board member Kennedy, a former investigator with the public defender, told  Mr. Savoy that he appreciated his "talking to the Lake City Reporter a week ago and clarifying – debunking whatever term we could use – the issues regarding the 12-foot fence with razor wire which came out of my mouth at the last meeting... I apologize. I should not have said that."

Then, Mr. Kennedy wanted to know how he could get into Meridian.

He asked, "For a simple-minded person like myself, on a very elementary level, tell me how I can become a patient of Lake Shore Hospital Meridian Psychiatric Unit. Walk me through what I would have to qualify to become a patient 'cause I may be willing to go right now."

There was some chuckling. It wasn't funny.

Mr. Savoie wasn't chuckling. He said, "I hope not, but we're here for ya."

Mr. Savoie explained the path into Meridian could be the Backer Act, the Marchman Act, or a voluntary walk-in.

Mr. Savoie said, for the first time in two years, "I can tell you, the prevalence of addiction versus mental health in Columbia County and surrounding areas is higher than it is in some of our lower tier counties. The need is growing here. We see it in the numbers."

Mr. Savoie provided no additional information or statistics.

Board Member Kennedy Was Not Done:
'Now, about the homeless'

Board member Kennedy was not done. He asked, "Wouldn't you agree that homelessness is a form of a mental health illness?"

Mr. Savoie said, "I would say that a large percentage of homeless have a mental health issue and possibly an eviction issue that needs addressing. In order to address their homelessness, you must address their mental illness."

See the recent U.S. News and World Report:
Most Homeless Americans Are Battling Mental Illness

Mr. Savoie added, "I'd love to be part of a diversion team here in Columbia County that's going to make a difference. We've done that [in other places]."

Mr. Savoie did not explain why there was no diversion team in Columbia County, what a diversion team does, and why it would make a difference.

Former Board Chair Brandon Beil

Mr. Beil read a statement off of his phone. He said Meridian's possession of the hospital would put it back on the tax rolls.

Fact: It won't. As a not-for-profit, Meridian pays no taxes.

Mr. Beil said folks who work at Meridian would "likely live in the downtown area."

Fact: There are few places to live in the downtown area. It is part of an area of blight.

Mr. Beil said Meridian will not be providing outpatient services at the Lake Shore Hospital "because they listened to the community over two years ago whenever we had multiple meetings on the plan."

Fact: There was one meeting in the school board auditorium. Mr. Savoie did not bring any of the Meridian Board members. He did bring his downtown Meridian plan, which was finalized at the last minute. Originally, the Meridian plan didn't have page numbers. The Observer added those to the document.

Board Member Lory Chancy Weighed In

When long-time board member Lory Chancy asked Mr. Savoie if Meridian knew what conditions a person entering Meridian for treatment was complaining about, he cut her off and talked all over her.

Over-talking people and cutting them off is widespread during government meetings in Columbia County. Mr. Savoie fit right in.

Board Chair Steven Douglas did not object to Mr. Savoie's rudeness to Ms. Chancy, which was a far cry from the way he interacted with Board member Don Kennedy – a man.

Epilogue

For an hour, the Don Savoie dog and pony show corralled the meeting.

The public learned nothing new. No member of the governor's Board asked about the quality of care at Meridian or its success rates.

We will follow up with more from Don Kennedy, the Authority's additional $125k gift to Meridian, and Meridian financial facts.