AUGUSTA — Two key leaders at Riverview Psychiatric Center have resigned, according to Daniel Wathen, the courtmaster who oversees the state-run mental hospital in Augusta.
Riverview Superintendent Robert “Jay” Harper has notified state officials that he will leave his position in the coming weeks for personal reasons, according to Wathen. In addition, Riverview Clinical Director Brendan Kirby notified officials weeks ago that he would resign and left his position earlier this week.
Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Mary Mayhew confirmed Kirby’s departure Friday but would not discuss Harper, citing rules around the confidentiality of personnel issues. Wathen said he learned of Harper’s resignation this week.
“I can confirm it,” said Wathen. “I was there when he said it. I knew he was going to do it at some point.”
Three lawmakers who did not want to speak on the record told the Bangor Daily News Friday that they have heard recently that Harper’s resignation was coming.
Harper did not immediately respond to a message left at his office Friday morning. Harper, a long-term veteran of state government, was appointed as Riverview’s acting superintendent in March 2014 after the previous superintendent, Mary Louise McEwen, was fired by Mayhew for unspecified reasons.
Harper holds an undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University and a graduate degree from Harvard University. He has worked for many years in state government in both Maine and Massachusetts.
The resignations come as Riverview is dealing with significant problems, many of them centered around staffing, which caused the federal Centers for Medicaid Services to revoke the hospital’s certification in September 2013 and Wathen to take action in Kennebec County Superior Court in February.
However, Wathen said the hospital has made significant gains in recent weeks and that he’s satisfied with the state’s plan for the transition between Kirby’s and Harper’s departures and whoever eventually fills the posts. Wathen declined to discuss who will take over for Kirby and Harper temporarily because he was unsure the plan has been discussed publicly, but said DHHS will conduct a national search to fill the positions.
“Even though there still remains a lot of work to be done and obviously this is a period of time that’s going to be a little difficult, it looks like things are under control and they’re moving in the right direction,” said Wathen on Friday afternoon. “I’m watching carefully but am sort of comfortable at the moment. They’ve been making a lot of progress on the things that I’m concerned about.”
Wathen said as of Thursday there was one mental health worker vacancy, compared with more than 15 a month ago, and that there are no acuity specialist vacancies. He said acuity specialists are no longer being substituted for mental health workers — which was a major concern for Wathen. There are still nursing vacancies, but that number has been reduced from a couple of dozen a month ago to about 15 on Thursday.
“They’re doing very well,” said Wathen.
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