Iowa doctor sues hospital for strong-arming Trump votes and discriminating against women

An Iowa doctor has accused Mahaska Health hospital of pushing her to vote for Donald Trump and discriminating against her because she was an atheist.

The Iowa Capital Dispatchreported Dr. Amanda Moreno's lawsuit against Mahaska Health claims she was "harassed, belittled, reprimanded, humiliated, excluded, terminated, and retaliated against all because she is a woman and she is atheist."

Mahaska Health Partnership, the legal entity that operates Mahaska Health, was named in the lawsuit along with CEO Kevin DeRonde and Doctors David Cornelder and Timothy Breon.

DeRonde, Breon and Cornelder "have a history of taking discriminatory acts against female employees and those that do not share their religious faith and political views," the lawsuit alleges.

"Breon allegedly insisted on praying with patients, two of whom complained to Moreno. At one leadership meeting, DeRonde and Breon allegedly created a PowerPoint presentation about why the attending members needed to vote for Donald Trump for president," the Dispatch's report said.

Moreno's lawsuit also claims that the three defendants aimed to "replace female employees with males who shared their religious beliefs and political opinions," the paper noted.

DeRonde and Breon allegedly told staffers God chose them to lead the hospital.

The lawsuit states that three of the four women doctors in the hospital's Emergency Medicine Department were fired soon after Cornelder was hired. Dr. Chris Martin was hired to replace the women. Martin "was unqualified to be an emergency room physician and posed a serious danger to patients," the lawsuit claims.

“There were also concerns raised that DeRonde (was) having an intimate relationship with another employee and hiring his wife for a position that she was not qualified for,” the document states.

Moreno’s lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages. Mahaska Health's attorney was not available for comment.