An Arizona emergency room doctor claims he was told not to return to work after sharing social media posts about the severity of the coronavirus pandemic.
In June, Dr. Cleavon Gilman moved from New York to work at Yuma Regional Medical Center, but says he was let go after tweeting about the effects of the COVID surge, reported USA Today.
The saga began on Nov. 22 when Gilman tweeted, "Just got to work and was notified there are no more ICU beds in the state of Arizona."
He followed up: "What happened to the 175 beds??? We likely don't have nursing to staff them. This is not good."
The next day, he received a call from his staffing agency, Envision Healthcare, saying the hospital did not want him to return to work.
"They told me it was because of the tweets and I couldn't believe it because that was accurate information I posted to inform the citizens of Arizona," Gilman said. "It is a grave injustice and it's not just happening to me. Doctors everywhere are afraid to speak up."
He called being sidelined “for no reason” while hundreds of thousands of people are suffering a “slap in the face.”
Gilman said he hasn’t worked at the hospital since November 23.
Earlier this week, Yuma Regional Medical Center released a statement calling the incident a “misunderstanding” and said Gilman was scheduled to work at the hospital this weekend.
The statement added, "While he is not speaking on behalf of YRMC, we respect Dr. Gilman's right to share his personal perspective on the pandemic."
In response to the hospital’s statement, Gilman tweeted: "Oh really... this is news to me."
One person who fully has Gilman’s support is President-elect Joe Biden.
After Gilman’s tweet went viral, Biden called the doctor to thank him for his advocacy. The official Twitter account for Biden’s transition team shared the call and offered Gilman words of encouragement.
"We promise you this: You have a partner in the Biden-Harris administration,” read the caption.
If that wasn't enough A-list praise, Oprah Winfrey also shared her admiration for Gilman and said she would pay for his family to go on a vacation once the pandemic is over.
"We should be taking care of those taking care of us," Oprah tweeted. Thank you @Cleavon_MD for the work you’ve done and will continue to do. You’ll need a vacation once this pandemic is over—and I’ll gladly send you and your immediate family anywhere you want to go. I’ll be in touch."
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