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Forum seeks OK to pay Pishkur
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Walter "Buzz" Pishkur
YOUNGSTOWN — Forum Health has asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kay Woods for permission to pay $18,000 in severance pay to Walter “Buzz” Pishkur, the health-care system’s former president and chief executive officer.
A hearing on the motion to pay Pishkur is scheduled for 9 a.m. Dec. 15.
Pishkur was appointed to lead Forum Health on Sept. 11, 2008, after having served three years on its trustee board. The financially troubled health-care system filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection March 16, 2009.
Pishkur resigned as president and CEO under pressure from creditors Sept. 21.
Pishkur incurred the wrath of one of the unions representing employees at Northside Medical Center when Forum trustees proposed paying him $9,000 a week as a consultant at the same time as 52 employees were laid off.
Pishkur, however, who later turned down the consulting position, said he originally accepted it thinking he would be in a position to further the reorganization plan developed under his leadership.
But he said it became apparent his position as a consultant would be minimized; and with compensation of $75,000 a month for its new interim CEO, and with layoffs and concessions impacting employees, the system could ill afford to pay $9,000 a week for a consultant who wasn’t being consulted.
Pishkur said the severance pay is less than others have received and less than he would have received were he still Forum’s CEO.
alcorn@vindy.com