Board of Trustees Moves Forward with Termination of Dr. Airica Steed

The Board of Trustees of the MetroHealth System today voted to terminate its at-will employment relationship with its President & CEO Airica Steed. The termination is effective immediately.

"It has become clear that the Board and Dr. Steed fundamentally disagree about the priorities and performance standards needed from our CEO for MetroHealth to fulfill its mission," said E. Harry Walker, MD, chair of the Board of Trustees. "We believe Dr. Steed's performance is not meeting the needs of MetroHealth. As a result, we have lost confidence in her ability to lead the organization going forward and believe it would not be in the best interest of the System for her to continue in her position. Therefore, we are exercising our right to terminate her at-will contract.

"We thank Dr. Steed for her service and wish her well in her future endeavors. We had high expectations when she arrived in 2022 and are sorry those expectations have not been met.

"MetroHealth plays an extraordinarily important role in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Because the Board is entrusted with guiding this critical community institution, our focus must always be on the future of MetroHealth and making sure it remains what it has been for 187 years: Greater Cleveland's outstanding super-safety-net hospital system.

"Our mission and the commitment to health equity that it embodies are sacred to this Board and to our more than 9,000 employees. With Dr. Steed's departure, we are confident we have senior leaders who can step in and guarantee that MetroHealth will continue to be a beacon of excellence for our patients and our community."