(Editor’s Note: After deadline, CARTI responded to this report with this statement.)
Dr. Brad Baltz is no longer the highest-paid oncologist on the staff at CARTI.
He was fired early Wednesday morning, although his official termination may not be finalized for several days.
Baltz confirmed to Whispers that he was terminated by the Little Rock provider of cancer treatment in what he described as a dispute with management over patient care.
CARTI CEO Adam Head declined to comment, and Harry Hamlin, president of the nonprofit’s board of directors, did not return a call seeking comment.
Baltz was paid $2.3 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2016, making him the highest-paid employee of Central Arkansas Radiation Therapy Institute. In fact, he was No. 1 on Arkansas Business’ most recent list of the highest-paid nonprofit employees in the state.
In a brief conversation, he expressed frustration with the culture at CARTI and its board of directors. He also expressed concern that the company would not be able to make its scheduled payments to bondholders who loaned the money to build CARTI’s four-story Little Rock center, especially “if they can fire their No. 1 producer.”
“I wish Mr. Head and his team and all my colleagues great luck paying that $50 million mortgage,” he said.
Whispers recently reported that CARTI has seen some financial improvement in the last few months after having financial struggles in years past. In 2016, CARTI failed to maintain a required debt service ratio on the $49 million bond issue for the Little Rock center, a failure that triggered the hiring of a management consultant.
The consultant left CARTI last year, and Baltz has an opinion on that as well.
“It’s unfixable,” he said.
And More …
CARTI’s longtime public relations coordinator, Ron Standridge, is also gone.
He was laid off in December as part of a “workforce reduction” that included a small number of workers. CARTI has since hired the Little Rock advertising agency Eric Rob & Isaac to handle its public relations.
Standridge joined CARTI in 2000 and was known for, among other things, dealing with the media and public relations for CARTI’s annual Festival of Trees events.
Standridge told Whispers last week that he’s still looking for a job.
He said he enjoyed his nearly 18 years at CARTI and called it “a great place.”
“I loved working there, and it’s a wonderful place and does wonderful things for a lot of people,” Standridge said. “I certainly miss it.”
More: Since this report was published, we’ve learned of two others who are leaving or have left CARTI.
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