Two top executives at the Loretto Hospital on Chicago’s West Side have been reprimanded amid fallout over their roles in the mishandling of coronavirus vaccinations, the medical center’s board of directors disclosed in a statement Friday.
Loretto’s President and CEO George Miller and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Anosh Ahmed were reprimanded “for their roles in mistakes” of judgment, the hospital’s board of directors said. The hospital did not disclose the specific reprimands.
The move comes amid an uproar over the hospital having improperly administered vaccine doses, and the city of Chicago’s move to withhold first doses of coronavirus vaccines from the facility while it conducts a review to ensure it is complying with distribution rules.
Loretto Hospital earlier this week acknowledged improperly vaccinating workers at Trump Tower downtown while also saying it improperly gave shots to Cook County judges. The stories, first reported by Block Club Chicago and WBEZ, have drawn negative attention to the hospital, which has said it was mistaken about the rules.
On Friday, Block Club Chicago also reported that more than 200 members of Miller’s church in south suburban Oak Forest received vaccinations.
Chicago public health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said during a call with reporters Friday that she was disappointed to see Loretto Hospital using vaccine “in ways that are not aligned with our goals and our values in the program.”
“The biggest concern here was, they were vaccinating people, first and foremost, who weren’t eligible for the stage,” Arwady said. “But then added to that is the larger concern, it seems they have prioritized vaccinating people who were well-connected, really letting them jump the line.”
Arwady said the city hasn’t made a decision “if or when” the hospital will be reinstated for vaccine. But, she said, she’d like the hospital to get vaccines again and expects it will.
“We really want to understand the full scope of this situation,” Arwady said.
Asked if there are other incidents involving Loretto, Arwady said, “Once we’ve finished this full investigation, we will share out what else we learn related to this.”
Arwady also said she “never” had a conversation with Miller about vaccinating people at his church but said her understanding is that, if a provider reached out to ask if they can vaccinate a church, the city would say that’s OK as long as it’s vaccinating people who live or work in Chicago and are eligible.
The rebuke from Arwady marked the latest setback for a hospital that was chosen by the city as the first vaccination site in Chicago and that, just a week ago, hosted Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker as he signed a health care bill into law.
Loretto’s board of directors said it was “disappointed by the revelations of the past week” and had “taken appropriate actions” against Miller and Ahmed.
“While it is the estimation of the Board that all reported events stemmed from a sincere desire to vaccinate as many eligible Chicagoans as possible — especially people of color — as quickly as possible, we acknowledge that actions were taken that fall outside the scope of The Loretto Hospital’s core mission,” the statement said.
“With a laser focus on the Austin community, we are reviewing all vaccination distribution practices at the hospital. We are working with the hospital executive and medical teams to put control measures in place to ensure strict adherence to the City of Chicago and Chicago Department of Public Health vaccine eligibility requirements and reporting protocols moving forward.”
Arwady also said she’s sure the hospital has “done a lot of good vaccinating, too, to be clear,” and that they’ve done a “beautiful job” getting shots to their employees. The hospital has done “a lot of good work,” she said.
“That’s what’s frustrating about this,” she said.
State Rep. La Shawn Ford, who serves on the hospital’s board, said Miller “lost focus of the service area and was just going out allowing for the hospital to do as many vaccinations as possible.”
“Losing focus of the area that you’re charged with is what we have here,” Ford said. “But the most important thing is, we’ve done our audits and no one in the Austin area we know of has been denied access to the vaccine.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement Thursday night that she was concerned about the reports involving the hospital.
“Since day one of this virus, Chicago’s vaccination plan has been focused around equity and reaching those who need this lifesaving treatment the most,” Lightfoot said. “Unfortunately, in recent days, stories have surfaced alleging providers who had an obligation to follow CDPH guidelines, ignored those restrictions and instead allowed well-connected individuals to jump the line to receive the vaccine instead of using it to service people who were more in need.”
A labor group representing Loretto workers objected to the city’s move, suggesting the hospital’s board should “hold the individuals responsible for breaking vaccine protocols accountable.”
“While we understand the need to ensure that vaccine protocols are followed, as the union of frontline healthcare workers putting their lives on the line at Loretto Hospital and other facilities across the city, we strongly object (to) the decision by the Chicago Department of Public Health to withhold vaccine doses from a safety net serving high-risk and underserved, majority black and brown communities,” SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Greg Kelley said in a statement issued late Thursday.
The Trump Tower employee vaccinations occurred March 10 and 11.
In a previous memo to staff, Miller said he authorized his team earlier this month “to vaccinate 72 predominantly Black and brown restaurant, housekeeping and other hotel support personnel at Trump International Chicago.”
“Similar to other community vaccination efforts we have undertaken, this stemmed from requests from West Side residents who work at the hotel and were unable to leave their jobs to be vaccinated during regular in-hospital hours,” Miller wrote. “We were, at the time, under the impression that restaurant and other front-line hospitality industry workers were considered ‘essential’ under the city of Chicago’s 1B eligibility requirements. I now understand, after subsequent conversations with the Chicago Department of Public Health, that we were mistaken.”
The hospital, a 122-bed medical facility in the Austin community, was chosen late last year to administer Chicago’s ceremonial first COVID-19 vaccination, as part of the city’s efforts to encourage people in Black and Latino neighborhoods to get the shot.
The vaccine rollout has been bumpy at times, with the state and the city setting different eligibility rules that’s led to confusion among residents. The criteria for the mass vaccination site at the United Center changed numerous times. Both City Hall and Cook County government have made vaccinating Black and Latino people a top priority.
The Tribune has chronicled the inconsistency at Walgreens, which has the largest vaccination program of any pharmacy in the state. In recent weeks, some Walgreens locations in the city and suburbs have been vaccinating people with health conditions, but other stores in the chain have turned away some in that category. It’s created another layer of confusion and anxiety for a group already having trouble finding vaccines. A Walgreens spokeswoman has said the company follows federal, state and local eligibility guidelines when giving vaccines.
The confusion is expected to ease in the coming weeks as vaccination supply increases and more appointments become available.
The city will move to phase 1c on March 29, allowing those with underlying medical conditions and essential workers to get vaccinated. Suburban Cook County residents 16 and older who have health conditions will be eligible Monday. And Gov. J.B. Pritzker has said everyone in Illinois 16 and older outside Chicago will be eligible for a shot on April 12.
