VISTA – Two employees of a Vista nursing home who reportedly took part in posting a video online mocking an elderly patient have been fired.
The video, which was posted on Snapchat in October, reportedly showed a partially nude patient being mocked by two female employees. A whistleblower provided images from the video to 10News since videos posted to Snapchat disappear within 24 hours.
LifeHOUSE Vista Healthcare Center terminated the employment of the two workers, Tom Allen, an attorney for the nursing home, told 10News in an email Tuesday.
The two employees in question were initially suspended. Allen confirmed that both have since been fired. He also added that the California Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) board revoked the certification of one of the women and suspended the other for 30 days.
The case was being investigated by the California Department of Health and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department as possible elder abuse. There was no word on the status of the investigation, Allen said.
In October, Allen defended LifeHOUSE, saying the actions of a few employees shouldn't reflect on the majority of caregivers who are dedicated and caring individuals. The patient involved in the investigation is still there.
The Federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' online nursing home database shows LifeHOUSE gets a below average overall rating, with 2 stars out of 5. The total number of health deficiencies is listed as 19. The average number of deficiencies in California is 10.5, and the average number in the United States is 6.8.
The facility is the same one that was featured in a Team 10 investigation late last year.
In that instance, the family of a woman who died after being hit by a food cart at the facility filed a wrongful death lawsuit.
Following an emotionally trying legal battle for the family, a jury ruled in their favor. The defense appealed the verdict and the case was settled before the appeal concluded.
