Floyd County Medical Center administrator placed on leave

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The administrator of the Floyd County Medical Center has been placed on paid administrative leave, although little information is available as to why or for how long.

Ron James, the chairman of the medical center Board of Trustees, said he didn’t know much beyond what was said in a short internal memo to medical center staff that was issued late last week.

The administrator, Rod Nordeng, is an employee of the Mayo Clinic medical system, operating under a contract between Mayo and the Floyd County Medical Center to supply an administrator to the county hospital and clinic.

“It’s in Mayo’s hands,” James told the Press. “He’s an employee of Mayo. We have a contract with them and they put him on administrative leave Thursday night. Further information may or may not be coming, we don’t know. It’s kind of out of our hands.”

Nordeng said Monday he could confirm he was on administrative leave, but could not comment on the reason or cause of the action.

He also said he couldn’t comment on how long the leave might last or whether he would be resuming his duties at the medical center, but said, “I hope this all gets taken care of.”

“I don’t know as far as timeframe,” Nordeng said. “Other than confirming I am on administrative leave I don’t feel I can comment any more.”

He did say the action “came as a complete surprise.”

James, the board chairman, said that Mike Henderson, the medical center’s chief financial officer, is currently operating as the administrator.

“He’s also assistant administrator, so he’s in charge,” James said, adding that the director of nursing and director of personnel are also helping, but “Mike is ultimately in charge.”

James said if Mayo would determine that Nordeng is to be replaced as the administrator at the medical center, the board would have the right to approve a new administrator.

“That’s part of the contract,” he said.

Nordeng became administrator of the Floyd County Medical Center in August 2017, replacing Bill Faust, who retired after having been administrator for 23 years.

Nordeng had previously served as vice president of operations and human resources at the Mayo Clinic System in Albert Lea and Austin, Minn., in other positions with Mayo and with the Community Memorial Hospital in Winona, Minn.

He has a master’s degree in health care administration from the University of Minnesota, an MBA from the University of Wisconsin and a master’s degree in servant leadership from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Nordeng recently purchased a home in Charles City.

“I’m sitting in the house that I closed on Jan. 22,” Nordeng said when contacted Monday afternoon. “I’ve got the place half torn apart.”

Nordeng, who commutes from Minnesota, said his goal was to refinish the home and make it available for Floyd County Medical Center Foundation events and physician events including physician recruitment, “and stay here and possibly live here, too.”