A Habersham Medical Center ER nurse is no longer with the hospital following an online dispute over what’s been described as a ‘racist t-shirt.’ The nurse wanted a shirt like the one worn by rapper and singer Upchurch with the ‘N’ word on it to wear to an upcoming concert.
The dispute went public when, after being rebuffed by a small shop owner unwilling to fulfill her request for the shirt, the nurse shared their exchange on social media. She called the shop owner a ‘Karen.’ The nurse was identified from a photo online in which she was seen wearing scrubs and a partially visible Habersham Medical Center badge.
TikToker Savannah Sparks, who goes by “Rx0rcist,” picked up on the dispute and brought it to the attention of her more than 821,000 followers. “I just wonder if racism is part of Habersham’s core values,” Sparks asked, “and, if so, would you feel safe with your loved ones receiving care at this hospital?” Sparks said the hospital was contacted to confirm the nurse was on staff.
The video was widely shared and got over 130-thousand likes. People posted links to the video on HMC’s Facebook page, calling for the nurse to be fired.
Later, in response, Habersham Medical Center’s Vice-President of Culture and Wellness Kesha Clinkscale released a TikTok video of her own. In it, she stated the issue had been addressed with all parties involved.
“Here at Habersham Medical, we have zero tolerance for cultural insensitivity,” Clinkscale said. “The individual, wearing the Habersham Medical Center identification badge, is no longer employed with our hospital.”
Clinkscale added, “Here at Habersham Medical Center, we hold our values in high esteem. They are integrity, compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence. We appreciate so very much the citizens of Habersham County for bringing matters such as this to our attention. This type of community engagement enables us to identify those individuals who are not upholding our values. This type of community engagement gives us the opportunity to bring about swift resolution. This type of community engagement helps us make a difference in our hospital and it helps make Habersham strong.”
It’s unclear whether the nurse was fired or resigned: Now Habersham has been unable to reach her, and HMC will not say directly. In response to Now Habersham’s request for additional information, Clinkscale issued the following statement:
“While we are not at liberty to discuss internal HR information, it is important for the community to know that Habersham Medical is driven by its mission to deliver exceptional healthcare; we are striving to realize our vision to be the trusted healthcare partner and employer of choice and; we are guided by our I-CARE values of integrity, compassion, accountability, respect, and excellence.”
Sparks applauded the hospital saying, “This is what #accountability looks like. Well done #Habersham !” Many others online also commended the hospital for how it handled the situation. Still, others criticized the hospital’s actions as ‘woke’ with one commenter lamenting, “she lost her job all over a shirt.”
This article has been updated with additional information.
Correction: Sparks did not contact Habersham Medical Center herself; she says the shop owner did that.
