CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The top doctor at Adena Health System was fired last week after allegations that he was leaking information to the media. In addition, other employees have been fired for simply reading news articles about the hospital and “liking” or sharing them on social media.
Adena Health System has been under the spotlight by media organizations, including the Guardian and Columbus T.V. station NBC 4, WCMH-TV for months. The microscope started with patients making claims against providers for allegations of sexual misconduct, which ended up going no where inside the walls of the hospital. Then, allegations started to arise about concerns over surgeries the hospital was conducting and how some of the surgeons operating on patients were not credentialed to carry out the procedures. It is worth noting that the Doctor, Jarrod Betz has since become properly credentialed to carry out the operation.
Dr. James Manazer was the top doctor inside Adena’s cardiology department until he was fired last week by the organization’s Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Graham. In a memo sent to staff, Graham said that Manazer was terminated for being a whistleblower by leaking information to the news media and the State Medical Board, which Graham said was full of lies.
“Effective this afternoon, Dr. James Manazer is no longer with the organization,” the memo states. “Dr. Manazer admitted to providing an interview to NBC 4 that relayed false and defamatory information about Adena and its physicians. Further, evidence shows he contributed heavily to publishing false and defamatory information on Blimp Arms and that was relayed on the Scioto Valley Guardian.”
While in the memo Graham said the doctor admitted to the allegations of being the whistleblower and said that the physician “defamed” the hospital, Manazer — who sat down with NBC 4 to clear his name on Thursday — said everything he reported to the media and state board was true: the doctor who performed a cardiac surgery last year was not properly credentialed. Hospital administration continues to deny the claim but says they are unable to produce documents to backup their version of events. Despite this, Manazer, who said he was only trying to do what was right by coming forward to investigators was fired. Meanwhile, those who conducted the surgeries without the alleged credentials remain employed.
In addition to Manazer, several employees inside the hospital have been fired for merely reading, watching, or interacting with news organizations who report on the hospital, as well as being “friends” or associates with employees of the Guardian, NBC 4, and other media organizations.
One person, who asked not to be identified because he said it may interfere with his job search went on camera with channel 4 and said that he was interrogated about being friends with those critical of the hospital. When the hospital asked to search his phone and social media, he was terminated for what he said was cited as “violating one the hospital’s core values.”
Another employee told the television station she was fired because she shared information from a Facebook page critical of the hospital named “Blimp Arms.” The owner of the Facebook page shared court paperwork with the media showing that Adena is suing the account and sent subpoenas to Facebook to try and find out who is behind the page. Facebook has denied the subpoenas; some of claims on the page have been independently verified and reported by the Guardian, while others remain separate.
On Thursday, the Guardian’s lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to the hospital telling the administration to stop calling the news organization’s reporting “false” and “defamatory.”
“[The] memo went on to state, ‘As we have shared before, multiple sources are attacking Adena with the intent to cause harm to this organization and our ability to serve our patients’,” wrote the Guardian’s attorney to Graham. “[The Guardian] categorically denies such allegations; the Guardian has never spoken to anyone named ‘Blimp Arms’ or ‘James Manazer.’ Your actions and statements amount to defamation of professional competency per se, to say nothing of personal and management character. You have also put [the Guardian] at severe risk of personal and financial harm, as well as extreme mental anguish. Please let this letter serve as a demand to immediately cease and desist unsubstantiated claims regarding [the Guardian] in any memo, email, and/or communication (written, electronic or typed). In addition, it is demanded you cease verbally telling lies about my client to others.”
The lawyer went on to say in the letter to Graham that if the C.E.O. continues to allude that the Guardian’s reporting is false, a lawsuit will be filed.
To read NBC 4’s latest report, click here.