The medical director of an Ohio nursing home has resigned following a racist comment he made to a colleague while discussing weekend staffing issues.
Steven Dean, M.D., who reportedly said his comment was a joke, served as a part-time medical director for 20 years at The Woodlands at Robinson in Ravenna, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. He resigned following a disciplinary hearing.
The incident occurred when Dean met with the home’s administrator and its admissions director to discuss complaints from nursing staff that some physicians won’t visit The Woodlands on weekends. New nursing home patients need to see a physician within 48 hours of admission.
When Dean was asked to provide an after-hours phone number, he told his colleagues “I don’t want black people calling me,” according to the newspaper. The admissions director, Barbara Hall, is black.
One of Dean’s supporters, Robinson Memorial Hospital President Stephen Colecchi, asked administrators to consider Dean’s remark in the context of his long career. While acknowledging Dean made a mistake, Colecchi called for compassion toward Dean.
