Three doctors in their 50s sue Hackensack University Medical Center for age discrimination – NorthJersey.com

Three pediatric emergency room physicians at Hackensack University Medical Center, all in their 50s, have filed suit against the hospital and its parent company, Hackensack Meridian Health, claiming they were fired in February solely because of their age. 

The three physicians — Usha Avva, 57, Nina Gold, 56, and Kathleen Reichard, 54 — were the emergency department’s only physicians certified by the American Boards of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine in the subspecialty of pediatric emergency medicine when they were fired, the lawsuit said.  

The three Bergen County residents had been employed by Hackensack for 19, 15, and 2½ years, respectively, and helped train residents and educate students at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine. 

“For Hackensack Meridian to discard them like this after 2020, after they put their lives on the line treating children and adults alike, is unconscionable,” said Michael O’Connor of McMoran, O’Connor, Bramley & Burns of Manasquan, who represents them with attorney Bruce McMoran.  

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in state Superior Court in Essex County. 

With their departures, the remaining pediatric ER physicians had an average age of 42, the lawsuit said. Five of the doctors were younger than 40 and had been hired over the preceding 18 months, it said.  

The emergency department at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, part of Hackensack University Medical Center, sees 36,000 patients a year, according to its website. The website describes the emergency department staff as “experienced and highly trained board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physicians [and] pediatricians.”   

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The hospital told the doctors their employment was terminated for business reasons in February, when, according to the lawsuit, the number of emergency room visits by children was beginning to rebound after the pandemic’s peak.  

School closures and the cancellation of sports and play activities during the pandemic resulted in a drop in emergency room volume, with fewer families seeking emergency care for the typical injuries of childhood. Many hospitals responded by reducing the salaries of pediatric emergency room physicians, cutting their hours or switching them from full-time to part-time status.  

Hackensack did not do that, the lawsuit said. In August 2020, it renewed each of the three physicians’ contracts for three years. In September 2020, it hired two new pediatric emergency room doctors. 

Although the lawsuit alleged that it would be difficult to find employment, as “very few hospitals have pediatric emergency departments,” the three each began new jobs in September, two in emergency departments and one at a clinic, according to their lawyers. 

Hackensack Meridian does not comment on pending litigation, a spokeswoman said. 

Lindy Washburn is a senior health care reporter for NorthJersey.com. To keep up-to-date about how changes in health care affect you and your family, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: washburn@northjersey.com 

Twitter: @lindywa