As most readers are aware, Parkland Hospital in Dallas is joined at the
hip with UT Southwestern. When questionable closed meetings occur,
particularly when they're talking about treatment of patients, in this
case premature babies, I have to wonder what's going on.
Parkland officials defend hospital board meeting's abrupt shift to closed session | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News
Parkland officials defend hospital board meeting's abrupt shift to closed session | News for Dallas, Texas | Dallas Morning News | Breaking News for Dallas-Fort Worth | Dallas Morning News
Dalton Lott, chairman of the board's quality and risk management committee, said the unannounced executive session included a discussion about personnel. The public agenda listed no such discussion.
Parkland board chairman Dr. Lauren McDonald said the closed session centered on the hospital's care for HIV patients.
"We don't have to be going over our reasons for this," Michael Silhol, Parkland's general counsel, told two Dallas Morning News reporters asked to leave the meeting. "We have the right to do it."
Silhol said that Section 161 of the Texas Health and Safety Code allowed the Parkland board to meet in closed session without advance public notice.
But attorney Joseph Larsen, an expert on the Texas Open Meetings Act who represents The News, said Parkland's move appeared to violate open government requirements. The state Health and Safety Code, Larsen said, permits an exception to the open meetings law only to allow a hospital board to receive information in private. Board members may not otherwise deliberate, he said. Silhol had no further comment.
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