Hospital Officials Jailed In California, Charged With Elder Abuse Via Psych Meds

I'm not making this up. Yesterday, California Attorney General Jerry Brown filed a criminal complaint against three officials at a Lake Isabella, California nursing home. From the Los Angeles Times:

"The state attorney general's office contended in a criminal complaint that more than 20 residents at a skilled nursing center run by the Kern Valley Healthcare District were drugged 'for staff convenience.' Many of them experienced side effects that included dramatic weight loss, slurred speech, tremors, loss of cognition and even psychosis, according to the complaint."

It's been a very long time since I've seen hospital officials charged with crimes. Expected to be arraigned later today are Hoshang M. Pormir, former medical director, former nursing director Gwen D. Hughes and former chief pharmacist Debbi C. Hayes. The three were arrested and jailed in Bakersfield on Wednesday. According to filings in the case, about two dozen patients were slammed with various psych meds, a few of them forcibly and without proper consent.

You can read the statement from AG Brown's office here. At the bottom, you'll find the felony complaint and its supporting declaration. Here's one ugly bit from the AG's declaration in support of the felony complaint (essentially a probable cause document):

"Opal Towery, who received Resperidol by intramuscular injection suffered harm. This medication stayed in her body for a month, and there was very good documentation by nurses of her adverse reactions, such as drooling, being noncognizant, being completely dependent of care, having severe tremors, and falling."

More:

"Lightner [a former nurse there] stated that KVHD was using psychotropic medications as chemical restraints such as Zyprexa, Depakote, Resperidol, and Seroquel, on many of their residents during the approximate time period of August 2006 through January 2007. The use of the psychotropic medications were ordered by former KVHD Director of Nurses (DON), Gwen D. Hughes.

"Lightner stated that Hughes ruled the nurses with an ‘iron fist’ at KVHD. Hughes did not tolerate any nonsense from the nursing staff or from any of the residences. Hughes created an extremely hostile working environment for the nurses by her stern management style. Hughes would order psychotropic medications for minor behavioral issues displayed by the residents. Many of the residents at KVHD suffered from Alzheimer’s or Dementia. Many of these residents were nonviolent, but moved around the hospital and were vocal. Due to their medical conditions, the nursing staff tolerated the residents moving around the hospital and talking among themselves. Most of the residents were innocent and not harmful to one another or to themselves. Hughes did not tolerate the behavior of residents who were vocal, loud, or being free to roam the hospital. She wanted to calm them. Hughes accomplished this by directing the KVHD Director of Pharmacy, Debbi Hayes, to write prescriptions for psychotropic medications to administer to these residents. This was done without a psychiatric or medical diagnosis performed by a psychiatrist or physician on the residents."

It gets worse, but one of the nurses tried to stand up for the patients:

"Shortly after Hughes became the DON in August 2006, she began ordering the residents to be put on these psychotropic medications. Lightner and the other nursing staff began to notice many dramatic changes in the behaviors of the KVHD residents. The residents were very lethargic, slept around the clock, some could not talk, some were not cognizant and were like complete “zombies.” Some of these residents became completely dependent for care, could not eat or drink, some became nonambulatory, and sat in geri chairs all day or were bedridden. Before the psychotropic medications were administered, most of these same residents, while at KVHD, were mobile in wheelchairs and were able to talk, eat, and drink, and bathe without assistance. Lightner believes that approximately over twenty residents were affected by the use of the psychotropic medications.

"Lightner began doing her own research on these psychotropic medications. Lightner
began informing the other nurses of what these medications were intended for and the risks they posed to the elderly. All of the nurses felt that it was wrong to administer these psychotropic medications to the residents and they voiced their disapproval to Hughes, Hayes, and Dr. Pormir. However, Dr. Pormir did not want to discuss the issue with the nurses.

"Hughes verbally threatened Lightner and all of the other LVNs and RNs that if they
refused to administer the psychotropic medications ordered to the patients, Hughes would report them to the State of California to have their nursing licenses taken away, and then they would be terminated by KVHD. All of the nurses were fearful of Hughes.

"Hughes ordered KVHD resident, Gayle Hamilton, be put on Depakote due to Hamilton
refusing to eat in the dining room. Hamilton had always eaten her meals in her bedroom prior to Hughes being hired. Depakote sprinkles were to be put into Hamilton’s food which was written on the doctor’s order. Lightner stated that this written order was in Hughes’ handwriting.

"KVHD resident, Opal Towery, threw her milk in the dining room, so she was injected
with Zyprexa by LVN Julie Aguirre. Aguirre told Lightner that Hughes had ordered her to inject the Zyprexa into resident Towery. Towery told Lightner that she did not know the injection was for Zyprexa, but was tricked to believe that the injection was for another drug, Ativan. Towery stated to Lightner that she had signed a consent form to be injected with Ativan, not Zyprexa."

Based upon that kind of evidence, it's no surprise that the three hospital officials face criminal charges and have been jailed.