Tewksbury Hospital CEO on leave after OUI arrest

How can Doug Sears say "well, we've all had those moments." THATS CRAZY. he should be admitted to D5, cause clearly he is not in the right state of mind. dont make excuses for her!! She was put into power by people & patients that trusted her. she did an awful thing, and I'm so glad no one was hurt as a result of her unresponsible behavior. She getting paid SO MUCH money,$117,484.90. to be exact. she has a certain professional way that she should act, at work and outside of work, always. People looked up to her, shame on her. and she just told them over the weekend, when this happened like 2 weeks ago??! story just keeps getting better doesnt it?? like no one would find out? Well if she feels so strongly about the rehabs here at Tewksbury Hospital, and how good they are, maybe she needs to join one.

No Mr. Sears, unlike you, we have not all had those moments.

Gee, look who's defending her....why am I not surprised? Open mouth, insert foot.

Why is she on paid leave, and why did the paper have to tell us how much $$$ she makes a year? She should be on unpaid leave, or do they wiat for someone to be killed for that?

I Think this is awful i have worked for the state 21 years and should not have made front page she did not drink on the job it was her personal time and she did not have any clients with her if this is the case then every human beings picture and job related should be in the paper i will talk to alot of people who buy the loweel sun and start a boycot

i am all for sandra acers every one needs to leave her alone she is the best thing that ever happened to tewksbury

I have been employed by the state for over 20 years and I think that Sandra has been one of the best things to happen to Tewksbury Hospital. She did make a mistake but it was in her personal life. By the way, what does her salary have to do with this situation???

A head of a hospital should lead by example, no? Tewksbury Hospital has on every unit at least one if not many patients affected by alcohol abuse. What message does this send to them? To keep drinking once you get out since you can't get in any real trouble? And what horribly unbalanced reporting, fill in the story with "hey no big deal" comments from her apologists. If the reporter wanted some filler, how about doing some research into what the state guidelines are for keeping a high-profile healthcare job if you are caught drunk driving?

Both sides have good points but this is a highly emotionally charged issue.

She is a good person and she made a personal mistake. Personal issues are not about "sending messages to someone".

Perhaps the substance abuse professionals (from those programs you mention )could shed some light on how this was not a deliberate act. It is also a comment on how many people are affected by substance abuse in our society today, many of them trusted healthcare professionals.

I hope these are not comments on how much we care for each other...those who are troubled And do not doubt that she will pay for this crime...and it will come with a very high price.

Okay she has a problem. She is human. She made the mistake on her own time, did it need to be a headline? She wasn't driving a state car, driving with clients or on duty. She broke the law, yes but so haven't lots of other people. It's what she takes away from this event that is important. She was lucky as were others that she was stopped and not involved in accident. Hopefully she regrets its, learns from it and is able to continue with the fantastic job she has been doing at Tewksbury State. One more thing why was her salary relevant to the story? Income has nothing to do with drinking and driving.

Shameful.

Mr Editor,
I would like to see the list of all the Lowell Suns employees that have been arrested on DUIs.

I am a paying subscriber.

Thank you

People, stop and think, how maney times have you woken up in the morning or afternoon and said wow I'm so glad I didn't get caught last night. come on people sometimes go over the line, and some get caught, most don't, but cut this lady a little slack, if she was the head of madd then I would say hang her were she stands. How maney police or firefighters,have been caught doing the same things, to the people that are out there shitting on this women, then I guess you are perfect.....

>> if she was the head of madd then I would say hang her were she stands. <<
Actually it is worse than if she were the head of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, because she is the top official at a state hospital that treats people with substance abuse problems, so this directly undermines the integrity of the hospital's mission. If she were an elected official, like former Gov. Elliott Spitzer of NY, there would be no other option but to quit. But since she is a political appointee, now we must wonder if the people who hired her will come bail her out or do what everyone who isn't one of her friends believes is the right thing to do.

point taken

She made a mistake on her own personal time, hey we don't know what her personal life is like. Her salary is irrelevant. Because of her position she should be out on unpaid leave, take her vacation pay and use that. She does need to set an example, but don't we all? Perhaps if she is found guilty then a change in career would be wise. She is not the first public employee caught doing something and she won't be the last.

Alexandra wrote:

She made a mistake on her own personal time, hey we don't know what her personal life is like. Her salary is irrelevant. Because of her position she should be out on unpaid leave, take her vacation pay and use that. She does need to set an example, but don't we all? Perhaps if she is found guilty then a change in career would be wise. She is not the first public employee caught doing something and she won't be the last.

Yes, it was her personal time, but if you are head of a Psychiatric State Hospital with a special program for *recovering alcoholics*, you need to lead by example at all times. What do you say to the patients, "well that's her own time"... You need to understand the nature of her employment to see why it's a big deal. If you managed a retail store, it would probably be a big deal if you were caught stealing from another store, for example. Or it's like a teacher being caught cheating on a state licensure exam. Bad move.

O.K. she made a mistake,but please don't downplay this and whitewash it.
In other words,no more business as usual.

Yes I agree with you Mike and Jack it shouldn't be downplayed. But aren't you innocent until proven guilty. She should not drink and drive bottom line. I do understand her job. I just felt until we get the full story we don't know the reason, did she get horrific news and had one drink or is she an alcoholic? I did state she needs to set an example and I feel she should lose her job if found guilty. If we fired everyone in government that was caught doing something we would not have too many left. LOL

Dear Chris Camire,

It was innappropriate for you to include this woman's home address in your newspaper article. I cannot understand how this information was relevant to your reporting. Based on your gross disregard for her personal privacy and safety, I will never purchase your paper again.

Truth wrote:

Shameful.
Mr Editor,
I would like to see the list of all the Lowell Suns employees that have been arrested on DUIs.
I am a paying subscriber.
Thank you

I agree. In addition please add the salary, age, home address, and arrest history.