Trinity Loses Only Resident ER Doc Over Social Media Post

As political tensions escalate nationally, their consequences are increasingly felt far from Washington, D.C. in workplaces, friendships, and small communities where institutions are fragile and relationships are personal.

In Trinity County, those tensions erupted last week when the county’s only hospital removed a longtime emergency room physician from its schedule after he shared personal political views on a private social media account. The decision sparked community backlash, amid concerns about free speech and workplace power, and placed hospital leadership under public scrutiny.

While the First Amendment protects Americans from government retaliation for speech, it does not shield them from professional consequences imposed by employers or institutions. Across the country, people on all sides of the political spectrum have lost jobs, contracts, or standing after expressing political opinions — even privately — as organizations enforce conduct policies to manage risk.

In Trinity County, that national dynamic landed squarely in the local emergency room.

A sudden removal from the schedule

Dr. Chad Smith, the longest-termed emergency room physician at Trinity Hospital, says he was informed the morning of January 28 that he would no longer be scheduled for ER shifts because of a Facebook post he made the night before.

Smith, who has worked at the hospital since 2014, said Medical Director Patrick Shipsey told him he was being taken off the schedule indefinitely, that the decision was based solely on the post, and that there would be no discussion. Smith said Shipsey indicated the directive came from hospital CEO Aaron Rogers.

Smith said he was given no warning and no opportunity to respond.

Like other emergency room physicians at the hospital, Smith is classified as a 1099 independent contractor. By the time he arrived at the hospital later that day, Smith said his February shifts had already been removed, and colleagues had been told he would no longer be working and were asked to cover his shifts.

Hospital administrators have emphasized that Smith was not formally terminated. In a statement to The Trinity Journal, Mountain Communities Healthcare District said no termination letter had been sent and that Smith’s medical staff privileges had not been affected.

For Smith, the distinction feels academic. If a physician is removed from the schedule entirely, he said, the result is the same.

A doctor rooted in the community

Smith is not a short-term provider passing through a rural hospital. He lives in Trinity County and, by his account, is the only emergency room physician who resides locally rather than commuting from elsewhere. He bought his home years ago, built long-standing relationships in the community, and was widely known for bringing his dog, Blue, who died last year, to the hospital.

Smith said he and Rogers maintained a cordial professional relationship despite knowing they did not align politically. They were not Facebook friends, but Smith said they communicated respectfully and had mutual appreciation for each other’s work. Just days before his removal, Smith said they exchanged friendly texts.

That context made the call especially shocking.

A rare post

Smith said he rarely engages in political debate online. His Facebook page primarily features photos of him and his girlfriend kayaking, hiking, and fishing against the stunning wilderness of Trinity County, and a plethora of photos of Smith’s beloved dog, Blue. His workplace is not listed on his profile, and his posts do not reference Trinity Hospital or his role as a physician.

Amid heightened national tensions, Smith said he expressed personal views in posts shared only with his Facebook friends. The posts were not publicly visible and received limited engagement.

Smith said he never imagined that expressing a personal opinion, even an impassioned one that was unconnected to his work could cost him his job.

“The town is in an uproar”

According to Smith and his partner, Courtney Fredericksen, Shipsey told Smith the decision to terminate his employment was driven by community outrage over the post, including alleged threats to boycott the hospital.

Fredericksen immediately questioned that explanation.

She said there had been no visible complaints about Dr. Chad’s medical care prior to his removal. Only after she posted publicly about what had happened did the situation erupt into widespread backlash. That post triggered hundreds of comments, most expressing support for Dr. Chad.

The public uproar followed Smith’s removal — it did not precede it.

Policy, conduct, and uneven enforcement

The day following Smith’s removal, hospital leadership circulated an internal memo reminding staff of expectations around social media use and professional conduct. The message warned that posts suggesting discrimination or the withholding of care based on political or other differences could lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

Smith disputes that his post met that standard. He said it was made in a personal capacity, did not reference patients or patient care, and did not link political views to professional conduct, a distinction he says is especially important in a small county where personal and professional identities often overlap.

What many community members questioned was whether political expression was being restricted consistently, or whether consequences depended on which viewpoints were expressed.

Standing-room-only board meeting

On February 4, dozens of residents packed the Mountain Communities Healthcare District board meeting. Speaker after speaker questioned administrators’ decision to remove the beloved ER doctor.

Rogers told the audience Smith had not been terminated and said reinstating his hours was possible. Many challenged the distinction, arguing that removing all scheduled work amounted to termination in practice.

Public comment extended beyond Smith’s case. Several speakers described what they called a long-standing toxic work environment, alleging providers have been pushed out over the years by being quietly removed from schedules.

Longtime Hayfork resident Wendy Armagnac said Smith’s case fit a broader pattern she had observed. “How does your management communicate with your staff?” she asked the board. In an interview after the meeting, Armagnac told Redheaded Blackbelt, “I’ve gone through four and or five caregivers or PAs and doctors… who have all of a sudden disappeared, and I find later that they’ve left because they’re very dissatisfied with how they’re being treated at the hospital or at the clinic.”

An older man who attended the board meeting didn’t mince words about his thoughts on Rogers’ own political postings when it was his turn for comment, telling the board, “Charlie Kirk over here, running our hospital.” The speaker was referencing Rogers’ public Facebook profile, which until late Wednesday displayed a photo reading “I am Charlie Kirk,” along with other politically themed posts supporting President Donald Trump. visible to the public. “[Rogers] will go through that hospital and weed out everybody that doesn’t agree with him,” the man warned.

Additionally, Armagnac brought up another public post on Rogers’ Facebook page questioning the healthcare professional, “You don’t believe in mandates? You guys, come on now!”

Several speakers questioned how Smith could be removed over a private post while leadership’s own political expression remained public and unchallenged.

The contrast sharpened concerns about selective enforcement.

An MCHD employee who spoke with Redheaded Blackbelt on condition of anonymity said that perception is widespread among staff, describing a workplace where political views aligned with administration appear tolerated while conflicting opinions carry professional risk.

Why this post, why now

Smith has said his post was driven by anguish and solidarity following the killing of Alex Pretti, a healthcare worker in Minnesota. Smith said he identified strongly with Pretti as a fellow medical professional and was emotionally affected by the incident.

He described the post as a personal response to what he saw as the killing of someone in his own field, not as a statement about his workplace, his patients, or his role at Trinity Hospital.

Both Smith and hospital CEO Aaron Rogers have used social media to express political views. Rogers has publicly identified with the “I am Charlie Kirk” movement through a post visible to the general public, while Smith said his private post reflected identification with a fellow healthcare worker.

Only one of those expressions resulted in removal from the workplace.

Questions about leadership

As the controversy unfolded publicly, questions at the February 4 board meeting expanded beyond Dr. Chad’s case to include broader concerns about leadership and accountability.

During public comment, Armagnac questioned not only the CEO’s leadership, but that of management.

“I understand there’s a doctor at the hospital who’s been in serious trouble, and yet he’s in charge of firing and hiring,” Armagnac told the board, referring to Shipsey.

Speakers did not allege that those past matters were directly related to Smith’s removal. Instead, Armagnac and others framed the issue as part of a broader workplace culture involving hospital leadership, including Rogers and the two physicians overseeing management, that they said discourages dissent and lacks meaningful accountability.

In a subsequent phone interview, Armagnac said Smith’s case was not an isolated incident but one example, she claims, in a longer pattern of providers being pushed out or silenced.

What comes next

Smith said he is weighing his options, including possible legal action or accepting job inquiries he has already received. Hospital leadership said reinstating his hours remains possible.

For now, Trinity County residents say they will keep showing up and pressing hospital leadership for answers.

In a rural county with a single hospital, questions about personal expression, workplace boundaries and selective enforcement are not abstract.

Redheaded Blackbelt reached out to both CEO Aaron Rogers and Medical Director Dr. Patrick Shipsey for comment last week. They have not returned our calls as of publication of this article.

Update: MCHD Board Faces Accountability Questions as CEO Review Comes Due