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ECMC says no formal complaints filed on behalf of Jackie Wisinewski

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The Erie County Medical Center says "no formal complaints" were filed on behalf of Jackie Wisinewski at her workplace.  ECMC CEO Jody Lomeo issued the statement this afternoon.

Wisinewski was fatally shot by her ex-boyfriend Dr. Timothy Jorden last Wednesday inside a medical building at the hospital where she worked as a receptionist.  Jorden was found dead last Friday near his Lake View home. 

As details of the murder-suicide unravel, some were concerned that her workplace did not respond to complaints about domestic violence. 

But Lomeo said after a complete internal review, no formal complaints were filed on behalf of  Wisniewski to her supervisors, human resources or the hospital's employee assistance program. Lomeo says employees have received extensive training in the past two years about workplace violence and a system is in place for anonymous employee complaints. Some employees who worked with Wisniewski said she feared for her life.  

Lomeo said a review found "no employee reports" about the situation between Jorden and Wisniewski and a search of records suggests that ECMC was not alerted to the abusive relationship. 

Here is the entire statement issued by Lomeo:

“Last week’s events will be with the ECMC family and this community for some time. We continue to grieve the loss of Jackie Wisniewski and come to grips with the incomprehensible event that took her life. While we remain sensitive to this tragedy, I committed to an internal examination of any information that would be helpful moving forward.

“That effort is now complete and uncovered no formal complaints filed by or on behalf of Jackie Wisniewski to her supervisors, human resources or our employee assistance program. ECMC worked hard to train employees extensively in the last two years about workplace violence and has a system to handle anonymous employee complaints. That system worked effectively in the past with abusive employees. A thorough review of that system found no employee reports from anyone about this situation.

“It is very difficult for anyone to individually predict that this type of heinous act would occur. We hope and believe that if anyone had information suggesting that harm was imminent, he or she would have come forward. Although our investigation continues, and it appears that other organizations and individuals may have been better informed, our search of records suggests that ECMC was not alerted to the existence of this abusive relationship.

“ECMC intends to continue with the priority of training its employees about domestic violence, or any violence, and to confirm with its partners that training of their workforce is consistent with this priority.

“At ECMC, we will do what it takes to remind our ECMC family that means exist to report these types of situations anonymously, and we will demand vigilance by our surgeons and other leaders to make certain that a person with knowledge of an abusive relationship at ECMC, or anywhere else, feels comfortable reporting it to the proper authorities.

“We also want this renewed internal resolve to serve as an example and a loud call to the broader Western New York community, to its companies and businesses, to its homes and relationships, that domestic and workplace violence is unacceptable and must be reported to the appropriate authorities.”