Gov. Stitt complained to hospital leaders about interviews with media on COVID-19 crisis

Gov. Kevin Stitt has complained to multiple hospital leaders about their employees — doctors and nurses — giving interviews with media outlets on the challenging conditions they face as the state continues to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to multiple sources with health care facilities and the governor’s office.

Last month, a frustrated Stitt called Jim Gebhart, president of Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City, about recent news reports featuring doctors at the hospital, according to two senior staff members at Mercy who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the phone call.

On that call Stitt said if doctors didn’t stop “fearmongering” about capacity issues it could force him to impose a ban on elective surgeries, which would be a financial hardship for many hospitals.

In an emailed statement, Mercy said its leaders have been in constant contact with state officials since the beginning of the pandemic in an effort to manage bed availability.

Read more: https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/gov-stitt-complained-to-hospital-leaders-about-interviews-with-media-on-covid-19-crisis/

So if media outlets do not report about COVID-19, then it doesn't exist, does it?