After firing chaplains for speaking out, Ohio hospital CEO warns others to keep quiet

Yahoo

5 days ago

Ayman Soliman, the former Muslim chaplain at Cincinnati Children's Hospital whom federal authorities are trying to deport on what his lawyers are saying is a trumped-up basis. (Photo courtesy of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance.)
In the middle of a national firestorm, the top executive of a venerable Ohio hospital last Thursday told employees that 'misinformation and lack of context can spread quickly, making it easy to jump to conclusions without all the facts.'
However, Cincinnati Children's Hospital President and CEO Steve Davis didn't provide any facts about the firings of two chaplains who spoke out in support of a former colleague whom the Trump administration is trying to deport.
Instead, he urged employees 'to trust that our leaders and your colleagues are making decisions with the best interests of our patients, families and each other in mind,' according to a note to the staff obtained by the Capital Journal.
Children's Hospital's public affairs office was sent a copy of the note, which was posted late Thursday afternoon, but it didn't respond to questions about it.
In addition to telling employees to trust him, Davis, the $2.5 million-a-year CEO, reminded his underlings of hospital policies regarding advocacy and media relations, according to the note.
Davis was addressing the controversy around Ayman Soliman, a man who served as a Muslim chaplain at Children's after fleeing his native Egypt in 2014 and receiving asylum in the United States in 2018.
Soliman was arrested, beaten, and tortured in Egypt because of his work as a journalist during the Arab Spring.
ICE continues to hold Ohio cleric. His defenders say the government's claims are bogus
Soliman's asylum was revoked on June 3 and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him on July 9. He's been in the Butler County Jail ever since. A federal judge issued an order preventing ICE from removing Soliman from Ohio at least through July 30.
Soliman's lawyers say the administration has used a bogus, shifting set of claims to try to deport Soliman. Many have rallied to his support.
On July 17, there was a vigil for Soliman in Cincinnati. About 100 protesters left it to march in the travel lanes across the John A. Roebling Bridge to Covington, Ky., impeding traffic. Covington police arrested 15 — in some cases acting violently even though the protesters appeared to be peaceful.
Among those arrested were a reporter and photographer for CityBeat. Felony charges against them were later dropped, but misdemeanors remain pending.
In the aftermath, Cincinnati Children's fired Adam Allen, one of its chaplains, merely for attending the vigil, Allen told WCPO TV. He said he tried to comply with what he thought was hospital policy.
'There was an HR meeting with our department to discuss media policies,' Allen told the station. 'I understood from that meeting that I shouldn't be a speaker. I could be misrepresented in the media as being a representative of the hospital. So I wore a shirt to the event that said, 'I do not represent Cincinnati Children's Hospital.''
The hospital also fired chaplain Lizzy Diop, who had given media interviews in support of Soliman.
Children with serious medical conditions — both chronic and acute — have long been treated at Children's. And chaplains have played an important role comforting traumatized kids and their parents, a story published Wednesday in Rolling Stone said.
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Soliman was valuable to the hospital because of his generous demeanor, his ability to speak Arabic, and his training in Muslim theology, the story said.
Despite the seeming importance of chaplains to hospital care, Children's is down three in a short span. The losses are all due to the same controversy — which stems from the priority President Donald Trump has placed on mass deportations.
In his note to the staff, Davis, the Children's CEO, didn't directly mention that controversy.
'As our country continues to experience changes and challenges, Cincinnati Children's is not immune to the scrutiny that arises when polarizing topics and events occur,' the note said. 'In fact, our reputation as a national leader in pediatric health brings a high level of attention and assumed expectations from our supporters, colleagues and the general public.'
Davis added, 'Please know the absence of a public response should not be mistaken for a lack of caring or action.'
Children's didn't respond when asked whether the hospital feared retaliation from the Trump administration if employees speak out against Trump's actions. Trump has engaged in high-profile battles in which he tried to defund elite universities over issues relating to free speech.
In the note to employees, Davis referenced rules from the hospital for employees about their own speech.
'While there may be divisiveness outside of our walls, we expect all employees to live our values and follow our policies, every day and in every interaction,' he wrote. 'I encourage you to review our Code of Conduct, as well as policies related to Advocacy, Media Relations, Social Media and Solicitation.'
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