State Rep. LaShawn Ford resigns from Loretto Hospital board over vaccine flapon March 23, 2021 at 3:09 pm

State Rep. La Shawn K. Ford has resigned from the board of trustees at Loretto Hospital over how it handled revelations of improperly providing vaccinations to people not yet eligible for the shots.

“I am very disappointed with the recent developments at The Loretto Hospital regarding its use of coronavirus vaccine entrusted to the hospital,” Ford said in a statement issued Tuesday morning.

“Yesterday, I submitted my resignation to The Loretto Hospital’s Board Chairman Edward Hogan because I strongly disagreed with how the reprimand of the hospital leadership was handled. As the state representative for the hospital and as a resident in its service area, I will continue to fight for resources for The Loretto Hospital, a safety-net hospital in the Austin community.”

Hospital CEO George Miller and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Anosh Ahmed have come under fire in recent days after revelations the hospital improperly provided vaccinations to workers at Trump Tower, where Ahmed lives; at a suburban church where Miller is a member; and a luxury watch shop on the Gold Coast where Ahmed shops.

Block Club Chicago broke the stories.

Hospital spokeswoman Bonni Pear has said the two executives received reprimands, but details about what punishments they face have not been revealed.

In a phone call Tuesday, Ford said, “It’s critical that consequences are more transparent.”

Ford previously told the Chicago Sun-Times the two would face “harsh reprimands.”

Loretto had no immediate comment about Ford’s resignation.

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