NEW ORLEANS – Thirteen months after New Orleans former EMS director Dr. Jullette Saussy was forced to resign amid controversy, the state ethics board has cleared her of any wrongdoing.
Now, Saussy, who is an emergency physician at University Hospital wants the people she served to know she committed no violations.
Saussy won a series of commendations for her work as New Orleans EMS director in those months and early years after Katrina.
At the time she was also fighting a life-threatening battle against uterine cancer.
But, 13 months ago, Mayor Mitch Landrieu discovered she had moonlighted as a medical director for a medical device firm named Vidacare in 2007 and part of 2008.
“I thought I had crossed my t’s and dotted my I’s,” she said. “I would never do anything unethical.”
The Ray Nagin administration had given her permission to do the work, but after some negative news coverage, she said Mayor Landrieu sent word that he wanted her to get an ethics board opinion about the outside work, and then, before getting the opinion, sent word that he wanted her to resign.
“After six years of unwavering service through Katrina and cancer, this was very difficult to swallow,” she recalled.
So, 13 months later, the ethics board has cleared her of any wrongdoing.
“The city of New Orleans did not have a business relationship with Vidacare,” said the board statement. “As such, there was no violation of the Code for you to be employed by Vidacare while you served as Director of EMS for the City of New Orleans.”
“It has forever changed me,” she said. “When someone questions your ethics – especially as a medical professional – that goes right to the core. The one blemish that was on my record has now been cleared up and I look forward to continuing to be healthy, continuing to serve the public every opportunity I get and serving the people here at the interim Louisiana hospital.”
Saussy said she wishes officials with the Landrieu administration had gotten the facts before they forced her out.
Earlier Friday, Eyewitness News sent two spokesmen for the Landrieu administration a request for comment or reaction to the ethics board opinion that cleared Dr. Saussy. As of 10 p.m. Friday, Eyewitness News had not received a response.
