Editor’s Note: The following is the complete statement from Sandy Martin regarding the Eureka Springs City Council’s vote on Monday, Jan. 12, to remove Martin from the Eureka Springs Hospital Commission: “The political posturing came as no surprise. What is surprising is the lack of acknowledging the tremendous improvements at the hospital and the clear focus on quality patient care.

“Regardless of the unfounded accusations otherwise, the hospital commission was and is paying close attention to the financial and internal operations. That should be obvious in the fact that the hospital now has a new, experienced CEO and CFO.

“In 2024, the commission knew the hospital needed new, stronger and more experienced leadership to move the hospital forward. We waited to hire a new CEO until after we got cleared by the state of the survey findings. Once cleared, we secured that leadership when we hired Tiffany Means as the new CEO. Her first responsibility was to do a comprehensive review of all operations and to make recommendations for improvement, efficiency and realignment. It takes time to get the right people with the right qualifications in place, and the hospital now has the leadership it needs to move forward. Financials and internal accounting procedures are being addressed by the new CFO along with improved financial reporting.

“I am very proud of what the dedicated commission and the new CEO have accomplished in a very short period. I stand by all the decisions we (and I) have made from mid-2024 to present. The hospital is on mission to provide quality healthcare and grow services… with a clear focus on people and not politics.”