NY health executive fired for asking Trump supporters to not seek treatment for coronavirus as it's 'all a hoax'
A top hospital executive in New York has been fired for suggesting that supporters of President Donald Trump should not seek treatment if they get infected with the novel coronavirus and give up their ventilators for others.
Laura Krolczyk, who worked as the vice president for external affairs at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, was fired from her position following an exchange on Facebook.
That exchange, with Hauptman Woodward Medical Research Institute's Director of Development Lisa LaTrovato, reportedly started after Krolczyk posted a link to an article criticizing the Trump administration's reluctance to pay 1 billion to General Motors and Ventec for ventilator production.
LaTrovato joined the discussion by commenting, "But will waste more than that on a wall and space force," to which Krolczyk replied, "Trump supporters need to pledge to give up their ventilators for someone else ... and not go to the hospital."
The former agreed with the sentiment and wrote back, "I think they should be the only ones in packed churches on Sunday."
"They should barricade themselves in there and ride this out," Krolczyk added.
One Facebook user criticized the pair and wrote, "Wow, just wow, so you're saying we decide who lives and dies based on political views? Great plan (thumbs up emoji)."
But this only caused Krolczyk to double down on her statements. "That's literally what he's saying," she hit back. "Take your 'wow' and comprehend what your hero is saying. Your hero is saying YOU don't need a ventilator. So don't take one."
"Also don't cash your stimulus check. It's all a hoax. Chew some ibuprofen and be on with your day."
The exchange was captured by Republican operative Michael Caputo in screen grabs and shared with his 37,000 followers on Twitter, where it quickly gained traction. He also tagged Krolczyk's and LaTrovato's institutions and urged them to take action.
Rosewell Park said Krolczyk's comments were "inappropriate" and said they did not "reflect the opinions of Roswell Park or its senior citizens" before confirming she had been fired from her role.
"This employee was terminated today [Saturday] after our Human Resources team concluded its investigation," said CEO Candace S. Johnson in a statement released on Saturday, March 29. "We followed standard procedure, which required that we gather and verify relevant information before taking any disciplinary action."
"This behavior is not tolerated at Roswell Park," the institution later added. "If any team members act in a way that does not accord with that commitment, we will take swift and appropriate action, just as we did in this instance."
Caputo praised the decision and said they had "taken this seriously, proving they have zero tolerance for sick partisan comments about a public health crisis," before adding, "All Roswell administration employees must take a lesson from this and (Johnson) should be commended for her leadership."
While Krolczyk was fired, LaTrovato was placed on leave for her comments. "HWI leadership is addressing this regrettable personnel matter directly with the individual involved, who has been placed on administrative leave pending further internal review," Hauptman Woodward said.