4 days ago
University Hospitals doctors claim they were fired for trying to unionize; the hospital said it was misconduct
SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WJW) — Two University Hospitals pediatric doctors who claim they were fired for trying to unionize joined a mass picket outside a UH facility in Shaker Heights on Friday morning.
The hospital system, however, said the doctors were terminated for improperly using a hospital app to access the contact information of thousands of UH workers in their attempt to organize.
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Fired pediatrician Dr. Valerie Fouts-Fowler told FOX 8 News from the picket line on Friday that more than 6,000 people have since signed a petition calling for the reinstatement of herself and Dr. Lauren Beene, who were terminated in June. Hundreds of others have mailed postcards to UH directors.
'When we were fired, thousands of patients' lives were affected,' Beene told FOX 8 News. 'Our patients suddenly found themselves without their primary care physician. That caused a lot of community outrage.
'I think also this issue of us being terminated — this is a much bigger issue than Val and me and our jobs at UH. This is about silencing physicians who are coming together to try to make patient care better.'
A Tuesday email from the doctors' Friends of Concerned Physicians coalition said the movement was intended to bring light to issues in the hospital system that affect patient care.
The hospital system in a Thursday statement said it had received complaints of unsolicited text messages being repeatedly sent to its workers, and determined the physicians had improperly collected personal contact information of some 4,000 workers through a UH care coordination app.
University Hospitals issued a statement on Friday that read:
Let's be clear: The decision to terminate these two physicians had absolutely nothing to do with union organizing.
The only reason we launched an investigation into this matter was because of complaints from UH physicians about being sent unsolicited text messages. An investigation determined these two physicians went into a care coordination app, accessed the personal data of 4,000 colleagues, and repeatedly sent them unsolicited text messages that had nothing to do with care coordination.
That is why they were terminated.
UH leaders repeatedly sought to work together with the now-terminated physicians throughout their careers to address any concerns these physicians raised.
No one is being silenced. There is not one issue that UH leaders ducked, ignored or did not seek to address with each physician involved. In fact, when these two physicians expressed concerns, UH leaders offered to meet with them in person. These physicians chose not to meet.
Many other physicians raise concerns that are addressed daily — all done without improperly accessing thousands of their colleagues' personal data and sending them unsolicited text messages.
Any suggestion that UH seeks to silence physicians is simply wrong. Those allegations do a disservice to the hardworking physicians and leaders who dedicate their lives to caring for our patients and our community.
Statement from Mike Tobin, vice president of communications, University Hospitals Health System
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The coalition, in a Thursday email regarding the Friday picket, called on the hospital system to 'respect physicians' right to organize and advocate for patients,' to 'uphold transparency, patient-centered values and a culture where speaking up is protected' and to reinstate Beene and Fouts-Fowler.
'I miss my patients and I want to get back to them,' Fouts-Fowler said.
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