EEOC Sues St. Vincent Hospital for Disability Discrimination

SANTA FE, N.M. – St. Vincent Hospital, a medical facility operating Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center (CSV) in Santa Fe, violated federal law by failing to accommodate an employee with a disability and firing her because of her disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in or around 2021, a long-term employee of CSV fractured her foot and tore tendons in her ankle. After returning from medical leave and working light duty in a patient care position for months, the employee requested reassignment as a reasonable accommodation for her disability. Although a vacant receptionist position in which the employee could perform with her restrictions existed, CSV did not reassign her. Instead, CSV fired the employee and stated in its termination letter that she would not be eligible for rehire until she was “fully recovered” or had “a release for full duty.”

“Policies or practices requiring an employee with a disability to be fully recovered or to return to work at full duty levels violate the ADA,” said Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Phoenix District Office. “Employers are required to make reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities, absent undue hardship, including reassignment to an open position.”

Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires employers to reasonably accommodate qualified employees with disabilities and includes reassignment to a vacant position as a possible accommodation. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. St. Vincent Hospital d/b/a Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, Case No. 1:26-cv-00968) in U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

“Requiring employers to provide reasonable accommodations is a crucial part of the ADA and allows employees with disabilities to successfully participate in the workforce,” said EEOC Phoenix District Director Melinda Caraballo. “When an employee can no longer perform the essential duties of her current job due to a disability, reassignment to a vacant position should be considered as an accommodation under the ADA.”

For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Phoenix District Office has jurisdiction over Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, and parts of New Mexico.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.