IS IT TRUE THE ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT HAS DETERIORATED AT UVA HEALTH?
Have UVA Health senior leaders ignored concerns raised by our doctors and nurses?
The doctors and nurses we have spoken with at UVA Health cited their passion for teaching and desire to train the next generation of health care workers as leading reasons they work at our community’s public teaching hospital.
Many also cited their pride in the education, training and mentoring they received at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and University of Virginia Medical Center as reasons they work and live in Charlottesville — so they can give back to an institution and community that gave them so much.
All of the doctors and nurses we spoke with acknowledged that changes are part of new leadership. Challenging work environments are common throughout the field of medicine.
But they have confided in us due to feeling increasingly powerless over the last few years to course correct unethical and concerning issues impacting their patients, trainees and colleagues. They’ve explained how the culture at UVA Health has significantly deteriorated under current senior leadership.
When UVA School of Medicine faculty have brought forth concerns about the impact of proposed changes on training and education, some UVA Health and UVA School of Medicine senior leaders have stated that the clinical mission of UVA funds its educational mission and therefore difficult choices have to be made.
In response to this, our doctors and nurses asked us to ask you…
1. Is it true the current CEO of UVA Health was named in a No Confidence Letter when he was the Dean of The Ohio State University College of Medicine?
A group of 25 physicians and professors in the Ohio State University College of Medicine have signed a "no confidence" letter asserting that Dr. Sheldon Retchin, CEO of the OSU Wexner Medical Center, and his top executives are undermining the college's academic mission and hurting faculty morale.
The seven-page letter, dated Monday, went to OSU President Michael V. Drake, Provost Bruce McPheron and the chairmen of the boards of trustees for the medical center and the university.
The professors assert that Retchin disrespects the hospital's and college's academic mission, in part by setting "unrealistic clinical effort and research funding expectations that are incompatible with academic medicine."
The professors contend that Dr. Craig Kent, dean of the College of Medicine for seven months, has shown "an emerging pattern of leadership in line with the style promulgated by Dr. Retchin."
"It is unfortunate that the Medical Center and College of Medicine leadership have created an environment of low morale, distrust and retaliation," the letter states. "Be assured that we would have preferred to avoid this route of action, but we feel it is our responsibility to bring this to your attention as we truly care about the health and future of this organization."
2. Is it true that faculty, residents and nurses at UVA Health have witnessed, experienced and reported repeated incidents of the following behaviors by UVA Health senior leaders?
Bullying
Coercion
Harassment
Verbal abuse
Intimidation
Mistreatment
Moral distress
Public shaming & humiliation
Modeling indefensible behavior to trainees
We are Concerned Citizens of Charlottesville and Patients of UVA Health who are troubled by what we have heard from many UVA Health professionals over the past year.
These professionals are not only our doctors and nurses but also our friends, family and neighbors. They are not willing to use their names out of fear of retaliation by UVA Health senior leaders. We believe our community should value and protect its health care workers who have dedicated their lives to helping UVA patients.
We have been advised by counsel that merely asking these questions could result in UVA Health senior leaders taking the following actions against their patients and concerned members of their community:
Send threatening cease and desist letters in an attempt to silence these questions.
Retaliate against the UVA Health professionals who are speaking out.
Deny the validity of any of this.
We’re dismayed by all of this. Can you help us understand if this is true and if so…
What is going on at UVA Health?
A Parrhesiastes is someone who speaks the truth in a clear and honest way…
It's about the courage to speak one’s mind even when it's difficult or unpopular…to prioritize truth over social niceties or personal gain...
But speaking the truth can be dangerous. A Parrhesiastes understands this risk and is willing to face the consequences, from social disapproval to vindictive employers or even violence...
Because ultimately Parrhesiastes act out of a sense of duty.
They believe speaking the truth is necessary for the greater good and to protect the people and institution they love.
We received this direct message by a reader fearful of commenting directly who asked us to post:
"Yes and yes. This is all very true. As far as the CEO of UVA Health (the EVP) - this news article shows that history is repeating itself. 'Leadership has created an environment of low morale, distrust, and retaliation' is exactly what is going on at UVA Health. These concerns have been brought up to leadership multiple times who claim they have no idea what anyone is talking about, have never heard these concerns before, and have also asked for names of people who feel as though they've been retaliated against (are they insane to think someone is going to come forward to them about retaliation?). Narcissists will always deny any wrongdoing and manipulate any concerns brought to them if they don't agree.
It is also true that employees have been subjected to bullying, harassment, verbal abuse, and ALL that was mentioned above. Senior leadership seems to intimidate the chairs in the medical school, some of whom then push that type of behavior on employees. It is known that there have been multiple formal complaints of bullying and harassment sent via the health system's safety reporting system, but employees have been asked to stop submitting reports, especially if the complaints are against senior leader's recent hires (whom they favor because they've agreed to be loyal).
It is well known that multiple chiefs from separate departments have been reported for these wrong doings and investigated, but these truly despicable behaviors have essentially been swept under the rug by the chairs (likely not favorable outcomes for them on the investigations?). It is also known that many who have reported these behaviors have been gaslighted. Again, goes to show the manipulation that this leadership uses and how disgusting it really all is.
Wake up leaders of UVA, the silence surrounding all of this is deafening. It isn't going unnoticed.