Dr. Joseph Meyer makes plea to Littlefork City Council
During a public forum at the Littlefork City Council meeting Thursday, former Littlefork Medical Center physician Joseph Meyer presented his side of the story on why he is no longer practicing at the center, as well as his frustration over a current lawsuit which has been filed against Meyer and the Rainy Lake Medical Center of International Falls, by the Littlefork Medical Center.
Meyer resigned from LMC several months ago.
“I’m sure you know who I am,” he began, visibly emotional.
Meyer confirmed publicly that the issue has resulted in a current lawsuit against him and RLMC. He is now under a temporary legal restraining order that resulted from a violation of an order that restricted him from practicing medicine anywhere within a 50-mile radius of Littlefork. Meyer apparently was under a “no compete” order when he left LMC.
LMC is a public entity managed by a medical board that includes a city council representative, Councilor Noel Schroeder. Schroeder was absent from the meeting and the council remained silent during most of Meyer’s presentation, which appeared to be a plea for intervention.
“I felt when I resigned, I had no choice,” Meyer said. “I needed out from under Calvin (Olson, LMC administrator), from the tyranny and oppression. I couldn’t work under the circumstances as they were.
“Now I’m seeing a significant amount of harassment. But I stuck it out and worked to the very last day. I was served an eviction notice,” he said, distraught. “I was expected to live out on the street until I was finished at LMC.”
Meyer went on to claim that Olson treated him like an hourly employee instead of a salaried physician. “He’s the biggest hypocrite there is,” Meyer said, adding his opinion that vacation docks were based on petty retaliations.
Calls to Olson’s residence went unanswered Thursday night.
Meyer said he was bounced back and forth between Olson and the center’s medical board, which, he said, apparently backed him on all these things. “When I went to Calvin, his standard answer was to ‘talk to our attorney.’”
“Yes, I resigned — and Calvin’s pissed off that I resigned. Patients and a lot of people are pissed off. But I would be there, if management wasn’t what it was. ...”
The physician, who reportedly had several chemical dependency patients under his care while in Littlefork, stated that he was having to travel all over the state to make a living and had gone to the LMC board for permission to work in a limited capacity.
He deemed his employment with Rainy Lake Medical Center, where he said an enforced restraining order recently left 33 patients dangling, is not really a no-compete situation. “There is no real competition. It’s really a restriction of trade — (I’m) not trying to provide any services that compete with Littlefork. And I have nothing against Littlefork — it’s the management.”
Meyer said he wasn’t leaving the area and was angry “that it’s gone to this extent.”
Then Meyer told the board that when this was over, he was seriously considering opening his own clinic in Littlefork. “And that will shut that place down,” he said, pointing across the street from City Hall where LMC is located.
Meyer claims that he has local property owners willing to donate land and resources for him to open his own practice.
“That’s not what I want,” he said. “I don’t want to compete.”
Mediation has been ordered, Meyer told the council. “When my council contacts the city attorney, “Joe Boyle is belligerent.”
When Meyer continued with his opinions on what the medical community thinks about the way the issue has been handled, Mayor Shane Williams interrupted, saying the board has heard “concerns from both sides” and “we know it’s hard to keep a doctor.”
“I intended to retire here,” Meyer said. “That was before Calvin, and being treated like a little child.” He said he hoped that this council would have something to say.
Williams stated that in fairness to Olson, who was not present, he felt the accusations should stop. Councilor Loren Lehman agreed.
“This is in the court system now and I’m not going to say anything to get me called into court,” Lehman said, agitated.
Williams referred to the council’s representative on the board and noted that the council would hope the board is doing their job properly. Schroeder is a board representative that Meyers said, “on the record, is the only (LMC) board member who is “not a puppet on a string.”
“The lawyers should be able to handle it,” Williams said.
“Lawyers shouldn’t have to handle it,” Meyers retorted, raising his voice. Williams replied that it’s unfortunate, but “that’s what happens sometimes, in divorces and separations” of this nature.
“What I’m hearing is that this council doesn’t want to be involved,” Meyer said.
City Administrator Mike Fairchild interjected that the power of the city council is somewhat limited in the matter.
As Meyer began to continue, Lehman held his hands up. “This is stopping right here,” he said. “I’m just not going to have it.”
His commentary over, Meyer thanked the board for giving him a chance to speak.
Weigold ambulance concern
Councilor Glenn Weigold reported to the board Thursday that his un-addressed concerns regarding a Littlefork Ambulance Service issue were now with legal counsel.
