FIGHTING WORDS

Sarah Henry responds: I agree--greater insight into the hospital’s point of view would have given readers a more complete picture of the Dimaranan case. However, Connie Tanquary and other hospital employees who share her opinion would not speak to me when I contacted them.

As to Tanquary’s specific charges: The article pointed out the hospital’s contention that Dimaranan’s demotion was performance-based. It also pointed out that Dimaranan’s immediate supervisor was highly complimentary in the first evaluation of Dimaranan as an assistant head nurse. Although Tanquary claims that staff unity suffered under Dimaranan, the favorable review notes that Dimaranan increased the level of patient care and staff unity. Records show that Dimaranan’s negative performance evaluations began after the language dispute arose.

According to both Dimanaran and the ACLU, it was Dimaranan who instigated the lawsuit by approaching the ACLU.

Finally, it is important to note that Tanquary does not deny the existence of a no-Tagalog, English-only policy in Dimaranan’s unit at the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center.