State investigating video of sleeping nurse at Auburn nursing home

Jeffrey Hammond, the department’s deputy director of communications, confirmed the investigation to The Citizen on Wednesday.

“The (section) has manufactured it a leading priority to hold nursing households accountable for the top quality of treatment they present,” he reported.

Hammond declined additional comment thanks to the investigation staying open. But he encouraged nursing residence residents and their people to share grievances or worries with the department’s Centralized Criticism Consumption Unit at health.ny.gov/facilities/nursing/problems.htm or 1-888-201-4563. Complaints are held confidential, and the results of assessments are shared with complainants. 

According to point out Division of Well being data, the nursing property was the issue of 62 complaints between Feb. 1, 2019, and Jan. 31 of this yr. It experienced 75 complaints and 10.9 citations for every 100 occupied beds, compared to the condition averages of 49.9 and 2.6, respectively. The nursing home was fined $17,000 last July for allowing two staff members unvaccinated in opposition to COVID-19 to get the job done there.

The 92-bed nursing house at 85 Thornton Ave. is also continuing its own investigation into the video clip, Administrator Judson MacCaull told The Citizen on Wednesday. He declined remark on the present work standing of the nurse depicted in it. He also claimed the accredited nursing assistant who recorded and posted the online video on Fb, Alexxis McNeil, is still utilized by the nursing residence.

“The moment the investigation is comprehensive and we have an opportunity to diligently think about the findings, we will make personnel conclusions in accordance with the legislation and dependable with our commitment to the wellbeing and security of our residents and personnel,” MacCaull said. “We enjoy your being familiar with of the need to have for a fair and complete evaluation and to prevent untimely speculation or rushes to judgment.”

McNeil, however, advised The Citizen she was knowledgeable by the nursing home’s human methods office that sharing the video publicly violated HIPAA, the federal legislation limiting the launch of health care details. On currently being told she would be fired as a end result, McNeil alternatively give up, she reported. To the most effective of her understanding, she is no for a longer time an personnel of the nursing home.

McNeil’s online video, which she posted Tuesday morning, has been viewed much more than 450,000 instances and shared far more than 5,700.