On Thursday, a case was filed in Outagamie County, Wisconsin court, according to reports from The Post-Crescent. The case was filed by ThedaCare and Neenah Hospital seeking a temporary injunction against the departure of seven employees from the interventional radiology and cardiovascular team that have accepted employment with the defendant, Ascension Northeast Wisconsin.
According to the article, ThedaCare said the departing employees worked on a team that “performs procedures to stop bleeding in targeted areas during a traumatic injury or restore blood flow to the brain in the case of a stroke.”
The departing employees represent 7 out of 11 members of the current Neenah Hospital team and per the plaintiffs, their departure without immediate replacement would mean that it could difficult to provide these higher levels services locally and that patients might need to be sent hours away, with the attendant increase in risk and damage to the patients.
On Friday, the plaintiffs were granted an injunction to delay the departure to allow additional time for recruitment of replacements, The Post Crescent reported. A hearing was set for Monday.
The plaintiffs note that the hospital has already been strained due to an influx in COVID-19 patients and that recruitment is difficult in the current situation.
Ascension Wisconsin has released a statement noting that the recruitment was from open job postings and they did not actively seek or initiate recruitment directly from ThedaCare.
The plaintiffs are represented by Godfrey & Kahn, while Quarles & Brady appears for the defendant.
