UPDATE: Eric Carlson, Chair of the Board of Trustees for Ottumwa Regional Health Center provided the following statement.
“Dennis Hunger is no longer serving as chief executive officer of Ottumwa Regional Health Center. We have identified interim leadership while we conduct a national search for a replacement. We are committed to doing all that we can to support and advance the critical work of our team at ORHC, and we will provide an update when a new leader has been identified. As a matter of practice, we maintain confidentiality on all matters relating to our employees and providers. Thank you for understanding.“
Eric Carlson, Chair of the Board of Trustees for ORHC
ORIGINAL STORY:
The death of a staff member at Ottumwa Regional Health Center (ORHC) has sparked an investigation by the Ottumwa Police Department amid a revamping of leadership at the hospital.
Lieutenant Jason Bell of the Ottumwa Police Department told Ottumwa Radio News the October 15th death of Devin Caraccio, a registered nurse who worked at the hospital, was the catalyst of an investigation.
“When there is an Unattended Death, the police get involved in order to ascertain what happened.”Lieutenant Jason Bell
Caraccio, 27, was found alone in a room in the hospital deceased. Bell did not share any other circumstances about the staffer’s death.
During the investigation, the residence of Caraccio–who lived in Centerville–was searched by law enforcement. Bell says evidence relevant to the investigation was discovered during the search but did not divulge what was found.
Bell noted an autopsy was performed on Caraccio’s body as well as a toxicology screening. He says the investigation will be dependent on the toxicology results.
ORHC is currently undergoing an upheaval in its management although it is unknown if it is relevant to the police investigation. Multiple sources told Ottumwa Radio News that Dennis Hunger was terminated from his position as Chief Executive Officer this week. Other unspecified managers were fired as well, according to sources.
Ottumwa Radio News contacted Ottumwa Regional Health Center for comment but received no response as of the time of publication.
Ottumwa Radio News will keep you updated on this developing story.
