The former Chief Operations Officer of the LBJ Hospital, Dr. Jean Anderson, did not have an employment contract with the LBJ Hospital. She operated as a vendor through her private clinic, Comprehensive Psychological Services, and the contract amount was $111,000.
Responding to questions from Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean at a hearing o the Senate Health Committee yesterday, Dr. Anderson said when she stepped down as a board member in March of last year, the LBJ Board asked that she continue her services to assist with many of the planned improvements for the hospital.
She said the contract amount was set and approved by the Board, and this should be recorded in minutes of Board meetings.
Asked if she was also paid a consultancy fee of $36,000, Dr. Anderson said there was only one contract through Comprehensive Psychological Services, where she provided consultancy services for the hospital, according to a scope of work that was provided.
Asked about a Board fee of $6,000 she said she received this when she was a member of the Board; but this ceased when she stepped down from the Board.
Tuaolo pressed on about a rental car business owned by Dr. Anderson, which the hospital was using.
She explained that she owned a lodging and rental car business which is often used by visiting researchers from different universities. She said every now and then the hospital would ask for services of her business for visiting teams, and this was all reviewed by the hospital’s legal counsel.
Tuaolo then asked about a rental car from her business being used by the Chief Financial Officer Sefa Kaumaitotoya at a cost of $23,000.
According to Dr. Anderson, when the CFO was hired he approached her and asked for a vehicle through her business. She said she told the CFO why not go through the usual process where LBJ leases a vehicle directly from Samoa Motors.
But she said the CFO told her he did not want to drive a vehicle with an MS license plate, did not want people to know the car he was driving and that he did not want to deal with Samoa Motors; he preferred a Toyota.
In her position, as Chief Operations Officer, she contacted ASCO Motors and arranged for a leased vehicle for the CFO to use.
Dr. Anderson told the hearing all of these arrangements were documented and transparent.
But she was later informed by the legal counsel that the board was making certain allegations.
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