A former hospital CEO accused of not reporting patient abuse allegations to the state says she is not guilty.
The California Department of Justice charged Rideout Memorial Hospital’s former CEO Theresa Hamilton-Casalegno with failing to report abuse and with blocking other employees from reporting abuse.
Hamilton-Casalegno, who retired as CEO at the Marysville Hospital after being charged with the two misdemeanors, was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning on the charges. She wasn’t there, but her attorney, JL Handzlik, was and entered not guilty pleas on her behalf.
Handzlik, who works in San Francisco, had more to say in a written statement to News10:
Want to publish your own articles on DistilINFO Publications?
Send us an email, we will get in touch with you.
“Terri unequivocally denies the charges. She firmly believes the hospital and its personnel acted properly and in compliance with the law in reacting to the allegations of patient abuse. They acted swiftly to ensure the well-being of the patient and conducted a thorough investigation of the matter through legal counsel. This was followed by decisive actions, including a report of the incident to the appropriate authorities. Terri looks forward to demonstrating her innocence at trial.”
The charges stem from a 2013 incident where a male patient said he was tied down by a nurse without a doctor’s order to restrain him. In court records, a state investigator said hospital administrators, including Hamilton-Casalegno, knew about the alleged abuse and decided not to report it.
The nurse, who allegedly restrained the patient, did appear in court Tuesday. She told the judge she didn’t even know she was charged with a crime until she heard about it in the news. She pleaded not guilty to one count of elder abuse.
In the meantime, there’s more troubling news for Rideout.
In a search warrant filed in Yuba County Superior Court, the DEA accuses Rideout pharmacy employees of transporting prescription drugs from Rideout to a sister-facility in Yuba City, which does not have a license to dispense drugs.
A Rideout spokesperson has declined to comment on the charges against the hospital’s former administrators and the DEA search at Rideout Hospital.
Date: November 05, 2014