Whistleblower who put spotlight on contact tracing failures sues state after being fired

Dr. Jennifer Smith/FILE
Dr. Jennifer Smith/FILE(Hawaii News Now)
Published: Jul. 7, 2021 at 4:19 PM HST
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The state Health Department investigator whose whistleblower complaint revealed significant failures in COVID contact tracing last year has been fired.

As COVID cases exploded in August, epidemologist Jennifer Smith told lawmakers and her union that contact tracing had fallen far behind.

Her statements contradicted what Health Department leaders were telling the public.

After being put on leave she was reinstated in the fall.

But she was fired in May, she said, without a clear cause.

“I most certainly feel like I am being punished,” she said. “My goal last year, as it has been throughout, the pandemic is to share vital information and facts with people.”

Her attorney, Carl Varady, claims she was fired because she was “critical of certain department information data and procedures.”

Smith sued the department Wednesday, demanding her job back and damages for whistleblower retaliation.

The scandal last year led to the departure of Health Director Bruce Anderson and State Epidemiologist Sarah Park.

The Health Department confirmed Wednesday she was no longer with the department but offered no other response.

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