On July 30, Dr. Jennifer Olson went to the Brookings School board meeting and violated her Hippocratic Oath and joined Governor Kristi Noem in discouraging the public from wearing masks or taking precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Now KSFY reports that Dr. Olson’s employer, Sanford Health, may have given the Brookings doctor a time-out to think about her error:
A Brookings doctor who was recently placed on administrative leave is now back on the job.
Dr. Jennifer Olson was allegedly placed on leave from her position as a family medicine physician at Sanford Health in Brookings after she spoke out against the Brookings School District’s back-to-school COVID-19 measures.
During a school board meeting on July 30, Olson outlined her opinion on the school’s coronavirus plan. She said school-age children are at significantly less risk to COVID-19 than older individuals, and that the district is “reinventing the wheel for an illness that does not have a significant impact.”
“I’m just trying to be a voice for the opposite side that thinks maybe we’re going too far and scaring the community with the measures we’re doing,” Olson said during the meeting.
Sanford Health would not confirm any details about her alleged leave of absence, though they did confirm Monday that she was again seeing patients [“Brookings Doctor Challenges School District’s Covid-19 Measures,” KSFY, 2020.08.18].
As a firm believer in debate and the adversarial process, Dr. Olson’s statement about “trying to be a voice for the opposite side” rings one of my sympathy bells. But you don’t get to identify yourself as a family physician and then make statements that run counter to good practice for physicians. Sanford Health has an obligation to lead intelligent public discourse and exemplify good public health practice. Sanford includes “Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others” in its guidance on preventing the spread of coroanvirus. Sanford’s mission does not include giving equal time to quackery. Dr. Olson’s statements against public health interventions, as well as her brazen refusal to wear a mask while attending and speaking at a public meeting at which every other person in the room appeared to be following the school board’s request that all attendees wear masks, undermine her employer’s mission and justify corrective/punitive action like administrative leave.
Related Reading: Funny—back in April, Dr. Olson expressed Sanford Health’s gratitude for masks donated to the hospital by the public:
“There is a true outpouring of generosity across our communities during these very difficult times,” said Dr. Jennifer Olson. “We are so thankful for the help our communities are offering as Sanford’s staff works around the clock to offer the best care for all of our patients” [Sanford Health, press release, via Brookings Register, 2020.04.17].
Dr. Olson also spoke for Sanford in April in encouraging locals to take advantage of video visits to support social distancing and tamp down the pandemic.
My goodness, I wonder why the sudden about face? Is a carrot being dangled by a politician… perhaps?
Olson’s husband was at that same meeting, and spoke, and audibly snorted when stating that his kids wouldn’t be wearing masks to school.
Sorta sounds like someone who wouldn’t vaccinate offspring for measles/mumps etc also. Sanford was kind to let her come back to work so quickly. Like her probable hero, Trump, she can mouth an oath but can’t live it! The Meade County school board member that said “we’re from SD and don’t like being told what to do” spoke similar garbage.
Kari, good question.
Who issues these nuts doctoring credentials?! Don’t they police themselves?!