Michellene Davis, executive vice president and chief corporate affairs officer for West Orange, N.J.-based RWJBarnabas Health, was placed on administrative leave last week pending an investigation into a racially charged Facebook comment. After the investigation, the health system announced she would keep her position.
Ms. Davis came under fire last week after she commented on a NorthJersey.com article her friend shared on Facebook. The article detailed plans to place armed police officers at schools.
"Who is going to train them not to shoot black children first?!?" Ms. Davis commented.
A few days later Ms. Davis posted an apology to her Facebook page for what she called "an insensitive and offensive comment."
For its investigation, RWJBarnabas leadership reviewed its social media policy to assess if it is acceptable to post personal views on non-company related pages.
"As we have now concluded this internal review, I am confident that Ms. Davis remains the proper executive to lead the Social Impact and Community Investment practice for RWJBarnabas Health," Barry Ostrowsky, RWJBarnabas president and CEO, said in a statement.
"We commend RWJ Barnabas leadership and Barry Ostrowsky for his thoughtful approach on this issue. While the statement by the executive was in poor taste, not every politically incorrect comment is a firing offense," said Scott Becker, Publisher Becker's Healthcare.