The CEO of Fenway Community Health Center resigned Sunday after the Boston Globe reported on years of sexual harassment allegations against a doctor of the center.
The Globe reports Dr. Stephen L. Boswell left his position under pressure from Fenway's board of directors, employees and donors. Boswell was CEO for 20 years at Fenway, which specializes in care for LGBT patients.
The investigation uncovered Dr. Harvey J. Makadon continued to work at Fenway years after the first serious complaint against him arose in 2013.
Fenway, which is affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, twice had paid an outside law firm to investigate charges against Makadon. The investigation found Boswell had ignored the firm's advice in 2015 to fire Makadon, and Boswell failed to report the firm's findings to the board.
The board also did not learn of a $75,000 settlement paid to a former male employee over allegations Makadon harassed and bullied him. Makadon had allegedly sexually harassed at least three male co-workers at Fenway. The investigation also found he "yelled at and belittled" male and female staff members.
According to center employees, Makadon resigned in March, a little over a month after the board finally learned of harassment allegations.
In a statement, Fenway said it will begin searching for Boswell's replacement "as soon as practicable." M. Jane Powers, currently Fenway's director of behavioral health, will serve as CEO in the interim.
"Fenway Health is bigger than any single person," said the statement. "It is driven by our talented and dedicated employees, our committed and generous donors and volunteers, our partners in the community, and most importantly, all of our patients."
According to its website, Fenway Health has a budget of more than $90 million, a staff of 500 and a patient population of more than 28,000.
Send us a letter
Have an opinion about this story? Click here to submit a Letter to the Editor, and we may publish it in print.
