SMMC Condemns Social Media Attacks
February 07, 2022
To the Community:
Steele Memorial Medical Center (SMMC) is a critical organization to this community and the second largest employer in Lemhi County. Last year alone, SMMC employed over 200 people, paid $14,720,357 in salaries $3,167,818 in benefits and put $872,283.63 back into our local economy.
Steele Memorial Medical Center has not responded publicly to the misleading and false claims posted on social media, choosing to take the high road. However, we can no longer sit silent with our character, integrity and professionalism being attacked relentlessly for over a year. We investigate legitimate complaints made about the organization. However, social media posts by disgruntled or uninformed individuals have unfairly targeted our staff and our board, professionally and personally, and are now attacking their families. The campaign has continued without regard for the damage it causes our dedicated staff and their families. Our staff works tirelessly and has been exhausted through this pandemic. Instead of using this platform to support our staff, this campaign is intent on destruction. It is damaging people, our organization and this community.
SMMC has lost valued people because they feared becoming a target of the destructive social media campaign. This campaign is becoming a roadblock to attracting new people to our organization. The relentless and misleading attacks have consumed our time, exhausted our staff and distracted us from doing the important work that we do. We intend to continue doing our good work, growing and making positive and necessary changes to improve the care we provide to our community. However, this has and may continue to affect the scope of services we provide the community.
SMMC is one organization and we will stand together to protect and support our staff against this campaign. SMMC is comprised of two strong volunteer boards, exceptional providers, and qualified, talented leadership and staff. We are all SMMC. We invest a great deal of time and effort to attract qualified people. These people show up every day to do the best job they can. We have sound business and accounting practices and professional standards of behavior that every member of this organization agrees to and complies with. As a result, SMMC is in a strong financial position and on a positive path organizationally.
At this time the SMMC family asks for the community’s support in condemning the damaging attacks on our staff and their families. We ask for your support to let us do the good and necessary work that we do, and to be an important and sustained business in this community.
