Community Medical Centers sues Santé CEO, surgeons for alleged 'walkout'
The hospital system claims neurosurgeons with the medical staff group stopped providing "call coverage" for the Fresno hospital.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Community Medical Centers has filed a lawsuit against the Chief Executive Officer of Santé Health and the staff of the medical group after physicians allegedly walked out on the hospital last year.
Community Medical Centers runs several hospitals in the Central Valley, including Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno, while Santé provides doctors to hospitals.
The lawsuit claims Santé neurosurgeons stopped providing "call coverage" for the downtown Fresno hospital.
Community says the neurosurgeons gave less than two days' notice of the stoppage, which "jeopardized the region's only Level 1 trauma center." and caused the hospital to "transfer critical neuro patients out of Fresno and to urgently locate replacement
neurosurgeons."
The lawsuit also claims that the stoppage caused the hospital to "transfer critical neuro patients out of Fresno" and left administrators to "urgently locate replacement neurosurgeons."
The hospital is seeking punitive and compensatory damages, saying the alleged walkout was a "breach of contract, breach of good faith and interfered with contractual relations" that had with Santé.
The hospital system says it wants a trial by jury.
Action News reached out to Santé for comment and has not yet received a response.
