Danville, Ky.-based Ephraim McDowell Health will pay $335,000 to resolve a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky in March 2024, alleges that around October 2021, the health system’s CEO told an employee she would not be selected for an administrator position at Fort Logan Hospital in Stanford, Ky., because it would be best to have a man in the role, according to a Nov. 21 news release from the EEOC.
Ephraim McDowell Health disputes the allegations and reached a resolution that involves no admission of wrongdoing, Lynne Warner Lynne, DNP, RN, hospital administrator at Fort Logan and James B. Haggin hospitals, said in a Nov. 24 statement shared with Becker’s.
“We remain committed to fostering a diverse and healthy work environment for nearly 1,800 EMH employees who are part of our mission to help people live healthier through quality health care,” Dr. Lynne said. “Our team will continue to focus on the 120,000 Central Kentucky families who depend on us for exceptional healthcare.”
The lawsuit alleges Shannon Long met all qualifications for the role, including educational requirements, but was placed in a lower-paying position reporting to the newly promoted administrator. A male employee who did not meet the education requirements was named to the administrator position, the EEOC said.
The commission also claimed Ephraim McDowell Health retaliated against Ms. Long by firing her in December 2022 after she filed a discrimination charge with the EEOC.
A consent decree resolving the lawsuit requires Ephraim McDowell Health to provide the former employee $335,000 in monetary relief, as well as other injunctive and affirmative relief. The system must also provide equal employment opportunity training and submit annual compliance reports to the EEOC under the two-year decree, according to the release.
The consent decree was approved and the lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice on Nov. 17, according to court records reviewed by Becker’s.
