Oklahoma Nursing Home Employee Suffers Retaliation After Whistleblowing
Diana Harris was a housekeeper at Cimarron Pointe Care Center in Mannford, Oklahoma. During her employ, she reportedly witnessed numerous instances of improper care at the facility.
After seeing a male resident sitting in his own waste for a long period of time, she reported the situation to her supervisor, the head nurse, and two nurse aides. The man had been sitting in waste so long that he had feces caked on his leg from hip to below his knee. The supervisor sprayed deodorant in the room to mask the smell and the aides decided to leave him for the next shift. Two and a half hours later, he was still sitting in his own waste.
A paralyzed elderly woman was left sitting in her own waste. Although paralyzed from the waist down, she managed to roll herself out of bed and into the hallway to get help. Allegedly, the nurses "just laughed" at her. In another instance, another female resident needed attention and, while her needs were brought to the attention of nursing staff, she was ignored. Sadly, she wrote a letter to her family saying goodbye, as she felt she would die from neglect. Another female resident, who was unable to sit up alone, was left on a shower bench and fell and hurt herself.
In her three months of employ at the facility, Ms. Harris reported all of these instances of neglect or abuse to facility staff, but allegedly was ignored. She decided to consult with her husband, Jerry, a retired private investigator known for exposing elder abuse. Once the facility staff learned of her plans, she was fired.
Ms. Harris filed suit against Cimarron Pointe Care Center and one of its contractors for wrongful termination. The petition alleges that "Ms. Harris was advised that the only basis for her termination was her reporting of the abuse. Ms. Harris had not done anything else to merit termination and no other basis for termination were discussed or even suggested." Ms. Harris is seeking compensation for lost wages, although punitive damages may be sought. According to her attorney, Derek Lawrence, "Her No. 1 concern is that the abuse and neglect needs to stop at the home. And to protect other employees, she wants to take a stand."
Cimarron Pointe Care Center is one of six nursing home facilities and one assisted living facility in which Eddie Martin has an ownership interest. Other facilities are Glenpool Health Care Center, Sequoyah Pointe LIving Center, Rolling Hills Care Center, Pleasant Springs Assisted Living Center, Shawn Manor, Silver Lake Care Center, and Coweta Manor Nursing Home. Several of the facilities in which he is involved have had severe problems. Cimarron Pointe is one of three of Martin's facilities that has lost federal money for new admissions in the past. An employee of Martin's Silver Lake Care Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Jason Pearl, was arrested for felony abuse. Shawn Manor in Ponca City received an "F" rating from the state Health Department and will lose federal funding for new admissions on July 9 if the cited deficiencies are not corrected. If Shawn Manor fails to become compliant, federal funding will be completely terminated on October 9, 2009.
The Terry Law Firm is experienced in handling cases of nursing home abuse and neglect. Please contact us at 1 (888) 317-2525 or visit our website at www.nursinghomejustice.com.
