In our last article, El Paso Politics shared inappropriate messages between University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC) CEO, Jacob Cintron and El Paso Children’s Hospital’s CEO Cindy Stout that we came across during our review of documents received under the Texas Public Information Act from UMC. As we noted in the previous article, we have come across numerous messages between the two CEOs that seem to violate UMC’s Code of Conduct. Because of the voluminous number of pages, we are still in the process of reviewing the information we have. However, we decided to publish copies of what seem to be obvious violations of the code of conduct because it involves individuals in positions of trust in organizations funded by tax dollars. Today we are publishing a new set we believe are important for the community to know about. We have also received numerous requests asking for copies of the originals that we have. In response to the requests, we are publishing the original documents received via open records.
CEOs Denigrate Staff And Interfere In Board Oversight
In the new set of open records communications from UMC CEO Jacob Cintron that we are publishing today, readers will see how Cintron and El Paso Children’s Hospital’s CEO Cindy Stout discuss board members tasked with oversight of their operations.
In the first message exchange from May 3, 2019, readers can observe how the two CEOs are discussing how to involve the Human Resources Department over an employee, Taylor Moreno, Ted Houghton and other board members. The message exchange shows how Jacob Cintron is injecting himself into the children’s board, although the children’s hospital argues that it is an independent organization separate from UMC. They discuss bringing in other board members in an apparent attempt to terminate Taylor Moreno.
Click here to download the May 3, 2019 document.
In the second set of messages, the two CEOs are discussing Ted Houghton again and his request for bankruptcy documents. The messages suggest that Houghton is passing off documents to others.
Click here to download the Ted Houghton document.
In the third set of messages, the two CEOs discuss Taylor Moreno and denigrate Ryan Mielke, UMC’s Director of Public Affairs. In these messages from May 9, 2019, a message exchange between Mielke and Audrey (we cannot confirm her last name) is forwarded to Cindy Stout.
Audrey and Mielke discuss the departure of Dennece Knight, who was the foundation’s executive director at the time. In response to the forwarded message, Jacob Cintron calls his subordinate, Ryan Mielke an “idiot”.
Click here to download the May 9, 2019 document.
Readers should note that after Knight left the organization, Estela Casas stepped in. In late March, Estela Casas abruptly resigned her position at the foundation. Our attempts to seek comment from both Dennece Knight and Estela Casas about their experiences at the two organizations have been unsuccessful. We will continue to attempt to get a comment from both.
In another message between the two CEOs, this one on February 22, 2019, they discussed hiring a financial analyst “because we could train him.”
Click here to download the February 22, 2019 document.
Original Open Records Documents
After we published our first set of open records documents suggesting serious violations of UMC’s Code of Conduct last week, we received several requests for copies of the originals that we have in our possession. Some of the requests are from news media outlets.
We have decided to publish them here so that all readers can have access to them equally.
July 20, 2018, message about the suicide at the Providence Medical Plaza. Click here to download the document.
November 29, 2018, referring to a female executive as a “cucaracha”. Click here to download the document.
March 4, 2019, sexual innuendo “squeeze” and a referencing to getting marihuana. Click here to download the document.
March 5, 2019, another reference to “squeeze”. Click here to download the document.
May 10, 2019, sexual innuendo: “Large buns!!!” Click here to download the document.
May 16, 2019, discussing that Jack (Chapman) works for Rick Francis and thus is not suitable. Click here to download the document.
August 3, 2019, referring to individuals as “Mr Short Stuff” and “Del Shrimp”. Click here to download the document.
Note to news media outlets:
The documents we are publishing is the work product of numerous hours of analysis and we request that any use of our material respects the labor we have put into them by giving us proper credit for our work product.
Suggested cite: Open records document provided by El Paso Politics (elpasopolitic.com)
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No question El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego fully understands the severity of Jacob Cintron’s official misconduct and the irreparable damage it is now causing the UMC.
As a former professor of labor law, human resources development and operations management, Samaniego certainly knows that this is not just another “HR” or “Personnel” matter at the Hospital District where the usual shallow apologies and token internal reprimands can be used to mend fences and move on.
Samaniego knows he has very serious matter at hand. This now a severe crisis of confidence that could quickly descend it into turmoil for the entire El Paso County Hospital District.
That is why it is so very alarming to hear absolutely nothing about this from Professor Samaniego himself. His failure to publicly address this issue ought to worry all of us. He must come forward now and fix this quickly before the crisis of confidence extends to him.
SIMPLY APPALLING!
This entire situation has NOW taken a much more serious and sinister tone. It has gone from a few serious violations of the Code of Conduct by the chief executives of our public hospitals to an obvious pattern of malicious and likely illegal acts. This is a total breach of the public’s trust.
Cintron and Stout must resign immediately. There is no way they can be trusted again. They obviously lack the judgment, intelligence and leadership required of a CEO.
On August 3rd – – the Walmart shooting – – at 6:33pm when dead bodies are still in the Walmart, Cintron and Stout are making fun of the Del Sol CEO for being on TV and bleeding his heart out.
This is absolutely disgusting!
Who the hell are these people?
Keep on posting this stuff. These two really need to go. Hopefully they get blacklisted from ever working again in El Paso. Zero integrity.
Where’s the Times? Where are the news stations? It’s not because they don’t know. Who is being protected and why?
Don’t worry, Ryan. Jacob is probably going to tell you how truly sorry he is for calling you an idiot and that he won’t do it again. Hey, you’ll probably even get a big Christmas bonus to buy your silence and make it all go away. After all, he really respects you.
My expert recommendation to the Board of the UMC and the County Commissioners Court is to keep your heads down and just lay low. Act as if this isn’t really happening. Don’t say anything. Don’t speak about it to anyone. Ignore the whole thing and it will eventually go away. Your constituents and employees are not very sophisticated and many are highly uneducated, so they will never understand what happened. Trust me. This works.
Ricardo, Ricardito.
¿Porqué tan calladito?
Toma las riendas por lo menos un poquito.
¿No que muy hombrecito?
Nuestro juezesito.
¿O te da miedito?
Author: Congrats, you just released the most damaging news article since EPISD, public corruption and a moral failure of leadership the likes that El Paso has never seen and the media is actively working to ignore it. The politicians are ignoring it and strong arming others to do the same. #hellpaso
Talk to me about that deck park.
Well, it certainly looks like this hospital within a hospital is not really independent. It’s clear that Cintron is running the show at the EPCH and Stout and her Board are all his puppets. HHS Inspector General not gonna like it.
Cindy Stout 1
Ted Houghton 0
The Perp: Jacob Cintron
The Violation: Flagrant misuse of position and government resources
The Punishment: Nothing. Ricardo Samaniego is his buddy.
To all Board members of the El Paso Children’s Hospital:
Watch your back!
Your CEO, Cindy Stout, might be secretly plotting against you like she did with Houghton. She and Cintron will defame you and try their best to get you thrown off the Board if you ask the tough questions.
Other than that, she is totally trustworthy and loyal.
I hate working here. Everyone in my unit would quit today if we didn’t need our job. Everyone knows nurse Cindy doesn’t know what shes doing and she makes things worse. No one respects her. Everyone knows how she got her job as the boss.
Through his silence and inaction, County Judge Ricardo Samaniego is complicit in Jacob Cintron’s unethical misconduct against women, EPCH Board members, UMC employees, hospital colleagues, the Hispanic business community and respected community leaders. Not to mention the whole nepotism thing. Why is Judge Samaniego protecting Cintron? Does Cintron have leverage? Hmmm.
corruption
noun
cor·rup·tion | \ kə-ˈrəp-shən
a: dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers): depravity
b: inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means
c: a departure from the original or from what is pure or correct
d: decay, decomposition
I remember that long period of silence and denial at EPISD when everyone initially thought it was all going to go away.
The cover-up is worse than the crime.
rat’s nest
Henry Gallardo, aren’t you in the business that is based purely on trust and confidence as a wealth advisor? Don’t people entrust you with their money? Well, as Chairman of the UMC Board, the people of El Paso are entrusting you with their Hospital District – and you’re MIA. Why are you hiding? You have a crisis on your hands and you go silent and provide no explanations to us? Is this the same way you behave when things go south with your private clients’ money? No way to run a business. Step up or risk losing our trust and confidence, Henry!
The Jacob Cintron’s scandal is Ricardo Samaniego’s scandal, too. These new revelations show the UMC CEO habitually betrayed his obligations to the taxpayers of El Paso and his own employees.
Cintron elected to be an unethical public official and chose to breach his own Code of Conduct over his integrity. And that comes with a price.
So, if Samaniego wants to remain credible and relevant, he must do the right thing and fire Cintron immediately.
Jacob Cintron traded on his position of power to get his kids jobs at the same hospital district he runs!? And openly conspired with Stout to ransack the El Paso Children’s Hospital Board of Directors. How is any of this OK?
Can’t believe this woman is actually the CEO of our childrens hospital.
As a nurse, Stout has a professional obligation to DO NO HARM to her patients.
As a hospital administrator involved in this official misconduct, however, she has done exactly that. Through her careless acts, she has put all her patients and employees in harm’s way by damaging morale and exposing the organization to serious ethical and legal ramifications.
Stout has flouted her obligations as a health care provider and hospital administrator.
Jacob Cintron and Cindy Stout have lost all credibility. They obviously don’t care that the responsibility for maintaining high professional standards rests exclusively with the person holding the position of trust, power, and authority.
Hey Paredes, when are you going to show us Cintron’s texts with the rest of his other executive stooges? If he is talking smack like this with Stout, it can’t be much different with his other lapdogs.
Dímelo todo!
I’ll start the popcorn.
just like ted houghton, estela casas was onto stout like a bloodhound. they both got to see inside the belly of the beast at epch and asked too many tough and inconvenient questions. they made stout very nervous, so she “took care of them”
I feel so sorry for Taylor and Ryan. I can’t imagine how humiliating it must be to have to swallow your dignity every day at work because you need your job and can’t quit.
The whole nepotism issue alone warrants an investigation.
The El Paso Children’s Foundation owes the all their donors an explanation. Cindy Stout’s unbelievable behavior at the hospital worries me as a donor. I have given to the foundation a lot and I am simply disgusted by the misconduct and lack of accountability. I don’t want my money going to a hospital that is being so grossly mismanaged by such a dishonest Ceo. Now I question why Estela really left. No more money until we get answers.
There is a dire need for transparency here.
Hey @No More Checks, you are so right. But its not only donors who need an explanation – the IRS also will demand answers.
You see, the El Paso Children’s Foundation is subject to government rules that regulate the activities, finances and operations that justify their ongoing tax-exempt “501(c)(3)” status – because it is a government-endorsed subsidy.
As a nonprofit, it depends on donations from the public, giving its Board an OBLIGATION to allocate these collective resources efficiently and effectively and uphold the public’s trust, especially when money is designated to help vulnerable populations.
Doing absolutely nothing about Cindy Stout’s and Jacob Cintron’s misconduct, The Foundation’s Board betrays this legal obligation to allocate resources effectively and uphold public trust.
Not long before the IRS starts asking questions. Who knows, your contributions might not all be tax deductible if this nonprofit Board isn’t managing affairs properly.
Cintron and Stout are “ex-oficio” members of the Children’s Foundation Board of Directors, but everyone knows they are really the ones running the show of the nonprofit on a day-to-day basis and calling all the shots. Not good policy. And more worrisome now with their crazy ethics scandal. Total conflict of interest, Mr. Hjalmquist.
Taylor Moreno knows where all the bodies are buried. That is why Cintron & Stout are so afraid of her. And even though they are just “ex-officio” Foundation Board members, I bet Cintron and Stout will interfere with Foundation management anyway and muscle in to try “quiet” Taylor. I hope they dont corrupt her.
Seeing here that the author forgot to publish the February 20, 2019 text exchange he previously wrote about that had to do with “Chunkles”
Agree with @Crisis of Confidence. For UMC’s sake, I hope nothing else comes out about Cintron’s misconduct.
Wait a second….did Commissioner Holguin and Judge Samneigo both share the stage with Cindy Stout last night??
https://kfoxtv.com/news/local/we-wanted-to-thank-them-el-pasoans-honor-frontline-workers
Woah…..they’re all definitely in on this.
Everything I’ve read is appalling, but Cintron & Stout’s name calling and bullying people is not surprising. The “del shrimp” text comments reminded me that after the Aug 3 massacre, Cintron and Ryan Mielke boasted in a staff meeting about the national media coverage that UMC had received and how this air time translated to millions of dollars that otherwise we would not have been able to afford. Yup. As we mourned the murder of our family, friends and neighbors, Cintron and Mielke took pride on the publicity this brought the hospital.
So, wait…Let me get this right….
Jacob Cintron, a public official, sits on the board of the nonprofit El Paso Children’s Foundation…which raises donations from the public and then gives that money to the Children’s Hospital….where both Cintron’s sons work????
Wow! Jaw dropping. “Does not compute”
Never mind the soul-destroying attacks on employees and the shameful betrayal of the Code of Conduct – that is child’s play compared to their serious ethics violations and breach of public trust. How hard is it to understand that improper influence by a public official is illegal? And that NEPOTISM is a form of fraud and corruption?
Instead of cultivating an environment for healing, Stout and Cintron are reopening old wounds that painfully remind us of the wretched history of mismanagement and misdeeds at these hospitals.
Whether he be a sinner or not, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
John 9: 1-11; 25
Rest assured that the paper trail here is long and unforgiving.
The entire Code of Conduct is officially now a joke. It is meaningless. If the CEOs are allowed to break the rules with such incredible impunity, how can any of their employee’s ever take it seriously and be held to account? Total absence of order. Textbook anarchy in the making. Just a matter of time before the whole thing implodes on itself.
The nepotism violations will definitely be Cintron’s undoing.
Mediocrity disguised as excellence.
There sure are a lot of comments about how Samaniego “must come forward now and fix this quickly before the crisis of confidence extends to him” , that the whole thing will “implode” on itself, that the IRS will start asking questions, and how Cintron and Stout “must resign immediately.” It makes me wonder if these folks are from somewhere other than El Paso where one might have expected at least a public apology. Have you all noticed that there is still nothing in any other media about this? Only the people who visit this site have any idea this is happening. So there is no crisis of confidence. Nobody is even aware of it. And so no consequence. It will be business as usual.
So the only one who really gets this is Advisor to the Stars, who has correctly observed that if the people involved just ignore it, it will go away.
Maybe a bunch of people could donate some money and have this put on an interstate billboard…
Not sure if you noticed, but last Thursday, Sundt Construction (worth roughly ~ $1.4B) gave a donation of $2,000 to UMC and they rolled out the red carpet in celebration.
Now I’m no mathematician, but I’m pretty sure that is a .000143% donation from this huge company.
Which begs the question, how desperate is UMC for good press that they all danced for this??
Pathetic.
I have full faith in the system and know that Cintron will be made to account for his illegal conduct. Just a matter of time.
If you think nepotism is alive and well, Cintron has given new meaning to cronyism. He has hired at least 5 of his friends for salaries well into 6 figures( jobs that didn’t exist prior). One get paid close to half a million plus a bonus and Cintron had to hire another friend to do his job. One is supposed to be planning future expansions and never worked in a hospital prior to this position. Cintron purchased a surgery center, with el paso taxpayers money, to put his buddy out there running the place. His friend was supposed to be doing surgeries has done none in almost 2 years. His friend is totally inept. Why are we, the El Paso taxpayers, forking over MILLIONS so Cintron can surround himself with all of his friends. The MILLIONS of dollars should be going to help the citizens of El Paso pay for health care and medications. The board doesn’t seem to care what he does, they just bury their head in the sand!