https://www.facebook.com/Save-Dr-Kearney-1039697039481791/
Finally, for those new to this blog and wish to know what this is all about, please scroll down to the previous post for a "comprehensive review" of everything that has happened.
HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON TO ALL !!!
Well in this festive season I felt certain we would get a visit from the Grinch, and so it happened. I just received notice (in the form of the official document) that Dr. Kearney’s legal battle (Appeal) is officially over. Because this document starts out with the statement:
RENDERED: DECEMBER 13, 2019; 10:00 A.M.
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED
I won’t publish it. Suffice it to say, the 3 Judges (Judge Denise Clayton, Judge Pamela Goodwine and Judge Jonathan Spalding) replacing Judge Nickell in the hearing of this Appeal of Judge Scorsone’s (who replaced Judge Reynolds, who replaced Judge Ishmael) earlier ruling in favor of the University, also ruled in favor of the University.
Some may feel that because of this Appellate Court decision that Dr. Kearney was the big loser in this battle, but I, and many others, feel just the opposite. It can be readily argued that the big losers in these actions taken by the university in its attempts to ‘destroy Dr. Kearney’s career’ were the university and hospital administrators/lawyers who initiated and propagated these actions taken to silence Dr. Kearney. The exposure of manipulative law, lack of due process and money mismanagement by hospital administrators and university lawyers resulted in faculty speaking out in force. They did this through their response in the Press Ganey surveys, their election of Dr. Kearney to University committees and through social media. This in turn resulted in a new head of the hospital (EVPHA), a new Chief Medical Officer, a new College of Medicine Dean, a new Surgery Department Chair and a shakeup of KMSF. This is not Dr. Kearney losing; but rather Dr. Kearney, UK Healthcare, the College of Medicine, the Surgery Department and the University of Kentucky faculty “winning”. The big losers in this battle were: a) the citizens of Kentucky who lost the availability of an outstanding trauma surgeon; b) the medical students, residents and fellows in the University of Kentucky Hospital who lost the expertise and insights of this outstanding teacher; and c) the taxpayers of Kentucky who ultimately paid for this miscarriage of justice. I don’t care what these lawyers might like to claim; it is kind of hard to argue with 25 years of outstanding performance evaluations, 29 teaching awards, an endowment in your name and a Governor’s Service Award. If this is what the University of Kentucky administrators/lawyers wish to define as a ‘history of bad behavior’, then maybe we need more rather than less of this “bad behavior”.
So please do not use historical documentation (e.g. redacted letters of reprimand signed off on by hospital administrators) in attempts to justify these severe actions taken by the University of Kentucky in their attempt to "destroy Dr. Paul Kearney’s career". It is clear that this documentation and this "history of bad behavior" can be effectively rebutted by multiple documents (outstanding performance evaluations, teaching awards, promotions, pay raises, an endowment, etc.) signed off on by these same administrators who themselves chose to trivialize these claims of bad behavior by spending 25 years rewarding Dr. Kearney rather than punishing him for this behavior. So the big question is: why are they now claiming this behavior to be so horrible that it all of a sudden merits "destroying his career"? The only thing different in Dr. Kearney’s behavior leading up to the kangaroo court proceedings was his attempt to openly challenge the money mismanagement by KMSF and senior hospital administrators. This, combined with the disappearance of 4 of the key contributors to the Dr. Kearney MSEC trial (for which neither he nor a representative on his behalf were allowed to attend) suggest to many that these actions had nothing to do with this "history of bad behavior".
Therefore, in the spirit of this holiday season I would like to “thank” Dr. Kearney for all of the great things he has done for the University of Kentucky and the citizens of Kentucky. The many lives he has saved and the many excellent physicians and staff that he has educated and trained. I want to wish him and his family joy and peace in this holiday season and all of the best in the coming year. Although retired from the university and its hospital, I would not at all be surprised to find him saving lives elsewhere. I wish him the best of luck and happiness in whatever he does.
Finally, in closing I want to wish all blog readers a joyous and safe Holiday Season. Thank you for your contributions to this blog and your efforts to hold this university and hospital administration accountable for their actions. Over the past 4 years we have tackled a variety of issues on the blog, many of which centered on the potential abuse of authority at the University of Kentucky. I look forward to hearing from you in the New Year.