Conspiracy to Injustice
by
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History is an excellent frame of reference to predict the present and/or the future. The author of this book was a career Veterans Affairs (VA) employee. For more than a thirty-year period, he worked through several progressively increasing responsible positions in VA before assuming the position of Health Care System Director for Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System. He had been most loyal and unswerving in his support of the agency and the accomplishment of its missions. Consequently, his career history in VA does not illustrate a parallel brought to bear by a Congressional official and to the characterization set forth by the VA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) in its final report on the review of CAVHCS, dated September 29, 1998. A careful review of his performance background disclosed that he had never been blamed, let along found guilty of offenses which could be adjudicated as factors contributing to poor quality patient care, mismanagement, waste, fraud or abuse of executive power. His career history as well as the OIG’s investigation itself showed that he never mistreated and/or discriminated against anyone. OIG officials alleged that he interfered with their investigation and made threats against employees who reported information to them about the management of CAVHCS operations. However, those who were acquainted and worked with him knew that the accusations were totally out of character for him to interfere with an OIG investigation and/or engage in prohibited personnel practices of any type.
The stories in the book depict a connect-the-issues approach. It starts with an introduction of an organizational issue. After placing the point of interest on the first issue, it describes events that occurred in the second issue, then the third, and so forth. As the reader approaches the middle of the book, clear pictures emerge--none selection of certain individuals to key organization positions led to the creation of false accusations, plots to assassinate character, sullied reviews and investigations and finally, a conspiracy to cause injustice.
Conspiracy to Injustice is a true story of how a Congressman used his position and authority to influence an agency’s Inspector General and the media to falsely accuse a government senior executive of impropriates. The situation was not perplexing nor was it mystifying. One need not be a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist to be able to figure out this phenomenon. The blatant attempts to implicate Jimmie L. Clay before he was considered for the position and after he became Health Care System Director at CAVHCS by Congressman Terry Everett, the Congressman’s staffers, OIG officials and a handful of others were played out over a three-year period in Central Alabama.
Reputable attorneys, his strength of character and eloquent defense of his executive and civil rights became the turning point in this first ever victorious precedent-setting case, with all the astonishing background information, which is illustrated in sad but fascinating detail and with exclusive photographs of relevant documents to show as evidence of the events as they took place.
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About the Book
In the spring of 1996, an assessment study was performed to ascertain the feasibility of integrating the Tuskegee VA Medical Center with the VA Medical Center located in Montgomery, Alabama. Representative work-groups from both medical centers, the Atlanta Network, veteran service organization officials, along with a paid consultant, participated in the development of findings and conclusions that consolidation should be undertaken. On September 10, 1996, the Honorable Jesse Brown, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approved the merger. The primary goals of the merger were to improve the quality of healthcare and access to care, reduce administrative costs, and redirect the savings to patient care delivery and enhance patients’ satisfaction. The merger created a new organization to be known as "Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System" or CAVHCS. The Tuskegee Campus was designated as the East Campus and Montgomery site was to be recognized as the West Campus. Approved plans stipulated that the West Campus would provide acute, general medical and surgical services. The East Campus new mission would be sub-acute and long-term care and a full range of psychiatric services. Plans also showed that both campuses were expected to continue to provide primary care services.
In January 1997, Jimmie Clay was appointed Health Care System Director for the new organization, CAVHCS. His appointment to this position was the straw that broke the camel’s back. As some viewed the event, "all hell broke lose." Shortly after Clay’s appointment, a number of extraordinary events occurred that precipitated disappointments and apprehension over the merger and caused a number of stakeholders to question whether the merger should be continued. It was made known in February 1997 that a handful of employees at the Montgomery Campus were upset with the proposed plan presented by Clay that considered centralizing administrative services at the Tuskegee Campus. At least two disgruntled employees wrote protest letters to U.S. Representative Terry Everett, who’s Congressional District included part of Montgomery County Alabama.
In March 1997, the Montgomery County Republican Club submitted a letter to Congressman Everett and the other Alabama Republican Congressional delegation opposing the integration’s plans and questioned the appointment of Jimmie Clay as Health Care System Director for CAVHCS. Congressman Everett contacted Dr. Kenneth Kizer, Undersecretary for Health at Veterans Health Administration of VA and requested that a scheduled kickoff meeting for the third phase of the merger be cancelled. On April 1, 1997, Dr. Kizer received a very accusatory letter from Congressman Everett, requesting responses to 29 questions and statements in the form of interrogatories aimed at the
Integration and the appointment of Clay. The questions and statements, to a great extent, mirrored those contained in the letter submitted by the Montgomery County Republican Club.
Congressman Everett conducted a personal inspection tour of both campuses with two representatives from the General Accounting Office and held a meeting in his Washington, D.C. office that was attended by certain other Alabama elected officials. Dr. Kizer, Dr. Carter Mecher, Atlanta Network Clinical Manager and Clay were mandated to attend the meeting. On June 9, 1997, Congressman Everett asked Dr. Kizer to bring the merger to a complete halt and announced on this same date that he was directing the Office of Inspector General to investigate allegations of mismanagement at the Tuskegee VAMC. The OIG investigators began their review of the Tuskegee Campus on June 26 and Congressman Everett, serving as Chairman of the House’s Oversights & Investigation Subcommittee, held a field hearing on the integration on July 28 at the Federal Court House in Montgomery. The latter part of the hearing was very negative and much of the negativity was aimed at Clay.
The events described in Conspiracy to Injustice are true as blatant attempts were made to implicate Jimmie Clay even before he was considered for the position of Health Care System Director and more profound after he took on the assignment. The drama and plots were played out over a three-year period in Central Alabama.
About the Author
Jimmie L. Clay, FACHE, joined Veterans Affairs (VA) in February 1967 as an Accountant Trainee, and retired from the agency on March 31, 2000 as Business Office Liaison at VA Headquarters, Washington, DC. Clay was an outstanding leader in Veterans Health Administration during his employment with the agency. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Masters degree in Management/Human Relations and Organization Behavior with specialization in healthcare management. He was a member of the Senior Executive Service for 14 years and successfully directed the activities at the Tuskegee VA Medical Center for more than twelve years. Clay held progressively responsible executive management positions for at least eighteen years while employed by VA. His successful career in public health care spans 30 years.
Clay received a wide variety of recognitions, awards, and honors from not only VA, but also from many civic, professional, and veterans organizations. These include awards from the Alabama, Arizona, and Ohio Hospital Associations, Governor of Alabama, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Blinded Veterans Association, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Optimist International, Boy Scouts of America, American College of Healthcare Executives, and the Alabama Healthcare Executives. Clay had a consistently outstanding record of service to veterans both nationally and within the states he was assigned during his VA career.
Clay is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, a professional organization whose mission includes promotion of high ethical standards of conduct for its members and advancement of excellence in healthcare management.
Clay was selected to represent VA on the prestigious president’s Task Force on National Health Care Reform and was commended for his performance on that task force. He served as a Faculty appointment as Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Master of Science Program in Health Administration at the University of Alabama at Birmingham while serving as Medical Center Director at the Tuskegee VA Medical Center from 1986 to 1997. Respected by his peers and acknowledged by them as a leader in healthcare, Clay was selected as a VHA representative to assess candidates for potential in health care administration. He has also served as an oral examiner for the Board of Governors of the American College of Healthcare Executives for the past six years.
Clay is very respected and recognized as a community leader. While employed by VA, he actively participated in the Kiwanis Club, American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, Lions Clubs, and Mayor’s Advisory Council.
After thoroughly reviewing and considering the outstanding qualifications of Clay, the Atlanta Network Director recommended his to the VHA Executive Resources Board to serve as Health Care System Director for the integration of the Montgomery and Tuskegee VA Medical Centers. The two VA healthcare facilities were merged to form a new organization, Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System (CAVCHS). His leadership, interpersonal and motivational skills were cited as strengths and contributed to his selection and confirmation. He was known for his personal integrity and thoughtful responses to the needs of veterans. He received a Commendation from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in 1996 and is an alumnus of the Leadership VA development program.