Former employee sues Lurie Children's for alleged retaliation: 5 notes

A former pharmacy technician at Chicago-based Lurie Children's Hospital has filed a lawsuit accusing the hospital of firing her in retaliation for reporting unsafe medication compounding practices, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Nov. 26. 

Here are five notes on the lawsuit: 

  1. Christina Christner, who worked at the hospital from August 2023 to April 2024, alleges that she raised concerns about unsanitary conditions and violations of medication protocols. The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, claims the hospital reused single vials of medication past their 12-hour expiration, reused gloves while compounding and used non-sterile alcohol to clean surfaces. 

  2. The lawsuit asserts that Ms. Christner's complaints about these practices were ignored, and instead, management focused on criticizing her behavior. Ms. Christner reportedly was fired a week after Illinois investigators visited the hospital. 

  3. Ms. Christner made a series of complaints to hospital management in late 2023, which she claims were met with resistance. In February 2024, she reported the hospital to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. 

  4. In an email shared with Becker's, Lurie Children's said, "We have recently learned that a former employee has filed a lawsuit against Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago seeking monetary damages. Lurie Children's consistently prioritizes safe, high-quality care to the patients and communities we serve and fosters an ethical workplace for employees. To the extent otherwise suggested in the lawsuit, such allegations are false."

  5. The lawsuit seeks back pay, future lost earnings and unspecified damages, according to the Sun-Times.

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