The former 60-year-old clinical supervisor of State College, Pa.-based Mount Nittany Medical Center's endoscopy center is suing the hospital, claiming age discrimination.
In the lawsuit, filed June 8, Lois Hassinger, RN, claims the hospital did not hire her for the endoscopy manager role in June 2020, or any other open manager position, despite her tenure with the hospital spanning more than 25 years. Instead, the hospital hired a "substantially younger" male who did not have prior endoscopy experience for the endoscopy manager role, according to the lawsuit.
Ms. Hassinger learned June 3, 2020, that she was not selected for a manager role at the hospital, and her employment was terminated. The hospital had reduced its workforce the previous month and reclassified supervisor roles as managers, requiring supervisors to apply and interview for the new manager roles.
In the lawsuit, Ms. Hassinger accused one of the physicians involved in the interview process of talking about her termination with other staff members and commenting: "Out with the old, in with the new."
Ms. Hassinger is seeking reinstatement to her role at Mount Nittany Medical Center, compensation for lost wages in the last year and pension reinstatement, among other remedies.