Virginia's Waddell Nursing and Rehab Center Firings: Employee Alleges Cover-Ups
We discussed Waddell Nursing and Rehab Center in previous blogs in connection with alleged patient abuse. At least one employee of the facility was recently arrested in connection to inappropriately photographing facility residents in various stages of undress.
Now, the Galax, Virginia facility is in the news again in connection to the firing of one of the whistleblowers. Melissa Reeves was terminated on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 for allegedly failing to let her employer know about the alleged abuse. In the termination letter Reeves received, Reeves was terminated for "failure to appropriately and correctly report an incident or event that could adversely affect the rights and privileges and safety of our residents."
Reeves alleges she was the first to report the naked photographs of the residents. She said she and a co-worker wrote a note concerning the abuse and slid it under the facility Administrator's door. They did not sign the note due to fear of retribution. Allegedly, failing to sign the letter cost Reeves her job.
Reeves believes that she was terminated because James Wooddell allegedly knew of the abuse. "He lied about it and said he didn't know anything about it. When in fact, I knew that he did, because I left the letter there under the door. He was telling all his staff, 'well if I'd only knew about his earlier I could have done something to stop it', well he did know."
