Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Something seems amiss at Montrose Health Center in Iowa. Lora Washburn was following rules when she reported an incident of abuse she witnessed at the nursing home where she worked. But a few days later she was fired, according to The Des Moines Register and The Hawkeye.

Washburn was working as marketing and admissions coordinator at Montrose when she spotted a coworker chiding a resident who was in a wheelchair. The worker, who had been with the facility 11 years, called the resident pathetic, reducing the patient to tears. Washburn reported the incident to the nursing home administrator, David Payne, but days later when he didn’t take action, Washburn took the matter into her own hands, calling state authorities to report the incident.

After all, it is state law to report suspected abuse. The “mandatory-reporter” law, which states that it is a crime for employees not to report cases of suspected dependent-adult abuse, exists in 45 states.

Washburn went one step further. She talked to coworker Tammy Hopp and encouraged her to tell the inspector everything she saw during the incident of abuse. But when Hopp met with inspectors she did not fully disclose the details, choosing instead to protect her coworkers. As a result of Hopp’s testimony, the abuse was ruled unfounded. And shortly thereafter, Hopp was promoted and Washburn was sent packing.

Washburn’s firing was not based on her reporting the incident of abuse, contends Payne. He says she was let go because, by coercing Hopp, she interfered with a government investigation.

Hopp has since testified under oath that she downplayed the incident to state authorities. The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has reopened the case.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 30th, 2009 at 9:52 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.