Commissioner McManus did the absolute right thing
Statement from Alderman Bob Donovan - August 10, 2018
I feel compelled to respond to today’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article on Milwaukee Health Department Commissioner Dr. Patricia McManus and the MHD’s Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Clinic.
I draw your attention to this sequence of events:
On Tuesday (August 7) morning I get a call from Dr. McManus, asking if she can meet with me in my office that afternoon. She indicates to me that she has concerns regarding nursing practices at the STI clinic at 3200 N. 36th St.
She told me that earlier that day she informed mayoral chief of staff Paul Vornholt about her concerns about the nursing practices at the STI clinic.
She informed me that she had uncovered information indicating that nurses at the clinic were performing invasive procedures that they were not licensed to perform. We discussed how this is a huge liability concern for the city, and she indicated that these procedures had apparently been practiced at the clinic for years.
Dr. McManus said that she had contacted the City Attorney’s office, requesting information on what, if any, liability exposure the City of Milwaukee faced because of the procedures. She also indicated that she had stopped the procedures immediately.
In a nutshell, in my opinion, what we had going on here is nurses who were practicing medicine without the appropriate licenses!
After our meeting – later that day – I contacted President Hamilton to make him aware of this situation, and I also reached out to the City Attorney asking him to call me about this issue.
I also requested of Commissioner McManus, in the interest of transparency, that she notify all Council members about this situation and she honored that request.
I will say this: As a longtime Council member and chair of the Public Safety and Health Committee, Dr. McManus’s honesty and candor are most refreshing!
She has worked diligently to uncover problems and mismanagement in the Health Department and has been forthright with the Council and the mayor.
I did receive a call from City Attorney Grant Langley on Wednesday and he seemed as concerned about the issue as I was. As to Mr. Langley, I have not received any follow-up phone calls from him since.
In addition, I am not aware of what steps, if any, the Mayor’s Office may have taken in this matter after they were notified.
It is also my understanding that Dr. McManus never ordered the closing of this clinic.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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