Cambia Health Solutions faces an unlawful employment practice lawsuit from an employee who worked for the nonprofit health insurance corporation since 1993. Cambia is the parent company of the Regence BlueCross BlueShield plans in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Utah. It also has 17 for-profit ventures under its Direct Care Solutions wing.
Douglas Goldsby worked in Cambia’s mail services department until he was fired in November 2013. His supervisors consistently rated his overall performance as “meeting and exceeding company expectations,” according to the complaint filed by his attorney, Bill Spiry, in Multnomah County District Court on Sept. 30. Goldsby is seeking $900,000 in lost wages and for mental stress, and has requested a jury trial.
Hired by Cambia in 1993, Goldsby once volunteered to stay downtown for a week during a heavy snowstorm to run its mail department, and was considered a dedicated and reliable employee who intended to remain at the company until his retirement.
But things changed after Goldsby needed additional medical care following a diagnosis of cancer – malignant neoplasm of the rectum. That diagnosis, in January 2013, required Goldsby to take time off, and he faced some restrictions after returning to work.
The day after Cambia received a letter from Providence Oncology and Hematology Care saying that Goldbsy needed an additional cycle of treatment, one more surgery and a one-month recovery from such surgery, he was fired.
Before his dismissal, Leslie Cooper-Patton, who worked in Cambia’s human resources department told him, “If you can’t come back to work 100 percent with no more time off, we don’t want you to come back.”
Diane can be reached at [email protected].
