Union representatives, patients and healthcare workers gathered at Logan Health in Kalispell on Tuesday to push back on a decision by the hospital system to not renew an employment contract with Dr. Ruben Hipolito, a family medicine physician who has worked for the organization for seven years.  

Representatives with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists argued that the decision to not renew his contract amounts to retaliation due to Hipolito's leadership role in recent unionizing efforts. Union representatives said they will ask Logan Health to renew his contract during ongoing bargaining efforts. 

In January, primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants voted to unionize with the organization in a 49-28 vote. 

According to the union, Logan Health informed Hipolito that his employment will end on Sept. 30 and told him that he was “not the right fit” for the organization, citing patient satisfaction surveys. 

A statement from Logan Health said the decision to not renew Hipolito’s contract predates the union activity and that the healthcare organization respects employees’ right to engage in protected activities under labor laws. 

Hipolito was instrumental in the effort to unionize primary care providers at Logan Health, according to Tim Jenkins, chief negotiator for the Union of American Physicians and Dentists. 

“We have some bad news for Logan Health ... because they tried to silence one person,  what they actually have done is brought all of us here together to speak out,” Jenkins told the crowd of around 60 on Tuesday.  

He said the organization requested all documents related to the contract decision. 

Hospital officials said any documents or information related to Hipolito’s employment will remain under wraps. Hospital policy does not allow officials to share details regarding any individual’s employment, according to the statement from Logan Health.  

“The physician leaders at Logan Health stand behind their decisions to recruit and retain providers and staff who are aligned with our values and culture. We remain confident that our patients and community will continue to have access to the high-quality primary care services they need and expect from us,” the statement continued.  

Some of Hipolito’s patients spoke at Tuesday’s gathering in support of the physician. 

Bigfork resident Holly Penrod of Bigfork said that finding another primary care provider for her fully-dependent adult twin sons will be a daunting task. 

“My sons’ trust in Dr. Hipolito — you can’t recapture that with another doctor. I can't recapture the history of Lucas’ life-threatening seizures with another doctor,” she said.  

She also spoke about a telehealth appointment with Hipolito for her mother, which took place during the final days of her life.  

“She drifted in and out of that appointment, but as it came to a close, she roused and looked directly to the computer at Dr. Hipolito and said ‘I love you’ to which he responded, ‘I love you too.’ Now, how is that not the right fit for our community?” Penrod said.  

Josh Amundson said he’s been a patient of Hipolito for about four years, in which time his children, mother and several of his coworkers had also sought out the doctor, per his recommendation.  

While his family struggled to understand an issue his daughter had been suffering with for years, Hipolito stood out in his efforts to figure out what was wrong.  

“Hipolito didn't stop asking questions and he didn't stop looking for answers. It breaks my heart to think of where we could be without him. Now we're on our way to the Mayo Clinic for results ... In my mind, there's not a better doctor in this valley,” Amundson said.  

Other speakers included Kalispell City Councilor Kyle Waterman, Democratic candidate for U.S. House District 1 Sam Forstag and Donna Nelson, a registered nurse and executive board member of SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. 

Hipolito told the crowd it was heartwarming to see the show of support. He said he took on unionization efforts to improve access and the quality of care for patients, and that staying with Logan Health would mean providing continuity of care. 

“You can't have that when a patient is going to their fifth, sixth or seventh inpatient appointment to establish with yet another person that they have to explain their life story to. We want as a union to work with the hospital to make these things better,” Hipolito said.  

Hipolito had a panel of 2,000 patients and was open to accept more, according to Jenkins. 

Pushing back on a claim from the union that thousands will be left without access to a primary care physician, Logan Health said in its statement that “physician recruitment efforts remain strong” with 21 primary care providers added over the past year, including five who are scheduled to join the organization this fall. 

Jenkins warned that if Hipolito’s contract is not renewed, there may be a larger demonstration from union members.  

“We're a fairly new, young union, we've only been negotiating with them for six months. A lot of our people were ready to take a strike vote around this, but some people wanted to give their employer another chance to do the right thing,” Jenkins said.  

He added that contract negotiations with Logan Health are “going terribly.” He said the union is arguing to include the right for providers to use professional judgment, defined as decisions based on a physician’s experience, learned knowledge and skills, according to the American Medical Association’s Journal of Ethics.  

“The employer has told us they basically will not agree to that ... It is in almost all of our union contracts,” Jenkins said. “It’s a vitally important community issue, because there are ways an employer can unduly influence clinical decision making.”  

The next round of negotiations with Logan Health were set for July 8.  

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.