[StBernard] Former St. Bernard Hospital patient says hospital employees harassed her for supporting rejection of tax

[Westley Annis]

Former St. Bernard Hospital patient says hospital employees harassed her for
supporting rejection of tax
Print Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Benjamin
Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
Email the author | Follow on Twitter 
on April 08, 2014 at 11:16 PM, updated April 08, 2014 at 11:17 PM

At the first St. Bernard Hospital board meeting since parish voters on
Saturday rejected a hospital tax, a former hospital patient Tuesday evening
told the board that two hospital employees had harassed her on Facebook
after she had written that she was pleased the tax didn't pass.

Kathie Acosta of Chalmette said she was berated by the individuals, two of
whom she later identified as hospital employees, who made comments about her
weight and other disparaging remarks after she expressed her opinion about
the election results. She also said that both hospital employees had brought
up medical procedures that she had at the parish hospital, which she said
violated her patient privacy rights.

Wayne Landry, the hospital's interim chief executive and board secretary,
said he first heard about that Facebook exchange on Sunday evening and that
he immediately disciplined the two employees on Monday.

Landry and the other three board members apologized to Acosta at the
meeting.
Landry told Acosta that he was "extremely disappointed in this conduct."

"I want to go on record to apologize on the record to you," he said.

Landry would not comment on how exactly how the employees had been
disciplined, nor would he disclose the identities of those employees. He
said that on Monday morning he had sent an email to all hospital employees,
through the hospital's human resources director, spelling out how employees
should remain professional in social media exchanges and represent the
hospital appropriately in public.

Acosta, who is white, also said at least one hospital employee had used the
"n-word" in a separate Facebook post unrelated to the tax vote. Acosta said
she teaches at a majority African-American school in New Orleans and that
some of her students had seen that employee's comment.

In terms of the use of the racial slur, Landry said on Tuesday evening that
it was the first time he was hearing about such a Facebook comment but that
he would review the matter further. He said employees have been fired for
using the slur.

"Our precedent at the hospital is that we have terminated everyone who has
done that, and it hasn't just been two people," Landry said. After the board
meeting, Landry clarified that at least three employees previously had been
terminated for using that word.

He said hospital officials would be "reviewing and also making an
investigation into the extent of all that has transpired here."

Board member Andrew Sercovich said, "We are truly sorry about ignorant
people and their comments. Of course, we cannot control this."
Following Acosta's public comments, the hospital board voted to change the
hospital's grievance procedures. Landry said he had put that matter on the
agenda before the Acosta incident had occurred.

Instead of simply having the CEO oversee patient and employee grievances,
the hospital now will create a three-person committee comprised of the
hospital's patients advocate, its human resource director and its chief
nursing officer. The hospital's CEO also will be empowered to consult with
the hospital's attorney about violation of patient privacy rights and
violations of the hospital's bylaws, according to the resolution passed
unanimously by the board on Tuesday evening.

At the end of the public meeting, the board's chairman, Jim DiFatta,
discussed parish voters' rejection of the proposed one-time 30-mill tax that
would have generated $9 million.

"It was disappointing that we didn't get the millage passed," DiFatta said.
"I do believe with all of my heart that it may have been an opportunity that
we may have missed."