Whidbey General Hospital officials said outgoing CEO Scott Rhine will receive a severance package worth approximately $120,000.

Rhine, the former CEO who has been at the hospital’s helm since mid 1998, left his post in late October in a move that caught many by surprise.

Board president Roger Case said Rhine submitted a letter of resignation saying he would step down in March, but the board’s legal counsel said Rhine should be released immediately from his contract.

The hospital board agreed. Rhine was given an offer to take a no-fault termination, Case said, an option that was included in Rhine’s employment contract with the hospital district.

Rhine accepted the offer and will provide “transition services” to the hospital through July, Case said.

The severance package approved by the board is equivalent to nine months of Rhine’s salary.

Tom Tomasino has been appointed interim CEO of Whidbey General Hospital while the hospital conducts a nationwide search for a successor for Rhine. Tomasino is the director of operations at the WGH.