HCA Healthcare, the largest healthcare system in the U.S., sent an e-mail to its employees warning them that they could be fired for speaking out about policies relating to the pandemic. One California nurse in the system has already been suspended without pay for commenting on social media about equipment shortages. HCA claimed she violated patient privacy in citing shortages. (Business Insider, April 7, 2020, by Allana Akhtar)
Health care workers across the U.S. have been fired for using the social media to note inadequate working conditions and equipment. Critics complain that the health care industry is more concerned with protecting their image than with protecting their workers and patients. (Bloomberg News, March 31, 2020, by Olivia Carville, Emma Court and Kristen V. Brown)
Mike Masnick, techdirt, April 8, 2020, comments, “It’s ridiculous how many times it needs to be said, but, in the midst of a pandemic, accurate and transparent information sharing is the key to actually getting a handle on this and minimizing the damage. That our hospitals are doing the opposite is not just scary, it’s literally putting lives in danger.”