A former surgeon is suing the Waverly Health Center, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Dr. John Matthew Glascock is suing the WHC and its CEO Jodi Geerts for allegedly putting patients at risk. Dr. Glascock came to the WHC from Covenant in Waterloo in 2018 and specialized in advanced laparoscopic surgery and bariatric surgery. In August of last year his first assistant, Jason Jampoler, accepted a traveling nurse position. Dr. Glascock implored Geerts to retain Jampoler. She allegedly told him they would not prevent Jampoler’s departure. Dr. Glascock claims that the nurse picked to replace Jampoler lacked the skill, ability, and experience to be his first assistant and he had to stop mid-surgery in the interest of the patient’s safety and refused to do another surgery until a competent first assistant was provided to him. Geerts is alleged to have told him that he would work whoever was assigned to him, to which he said he would take the issue to the board of trustees. Shortly before that meeting on September 23rd of last year Dr. Glascock was handed a termination notice. He says his former colleagues watched in horror as he cleaned out his office. Dr. Glascock claims his firing was in violation of public policy and constitutes wrongful termination and breach of contract.
Dr. Glascock has sued his previous employer, Covenant, in the past. In that case Covenant countersued and Dr. Glascock was ordered to pay $1.2Million. He appealed to the Iowa Court of Appeals who upheld the decision and ordered Dr. Glascock to pay a further $82,000. Covenant then sued Dr. Glascock again saying he was refusing to pay the judgment. They then went after his real estate in California and vintage motorcycles. They allege Dr. Glascock then committed fraud by transferring ownership of the motorcycles to his mom and working with a “asset-hiding firm”. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed after the two sides came to an agreement.