Salem Health employee under investigation for video mocking patient
This story has been updated to correct the job of the Salem Health employee.
An employee at Salem Health is under investigation after posting a video on social media mocking a patient's suffering.
In the video, uploaded Monday morning to Twitter, the employee makes faces as a patient is heard groaning in apparent pain in the background. The caption read, "When a patient has poor coping skills."
The original video posted to the employee's Twitter account was removed and the page has been deleted. However, a TikTok user used the original video and showed screenshots of them messaging Salem Health on social media asking for the hospital to act.
The TikTok video posted Monday has 3.5 million views and nearly 7,000 comments.
One comment read: "People like this are the reason why so many of us are afraid of going to the hospital! I hope she gets what she deserves."
Salem Health released a statement on Facebook, saying they appreciate community members bringing the video to their attention and that they are "taking this very seriously."
The hospital said the employee will not be working while the investigation is conducted. The employee has an active certified nursing assistant license in Oregon, according to the state. The license expires in January 2024.
"This individual does not speak for Salem Health," the hospital's Facebook post said. "We want to assure you that this one careless action does not reflect the position of Salem Health or the hardworking, dedicated and compassionate caregivers who work here."
There were nearly 200 comments on the hospital's post on Tuesday, with many saying the employee's employment should be terminated immediately and the video is unacceptable.
In 2020, another Salem Health employee was investigated for uploading a video mocking COVID-19 protocols. The oncology nurse ultimately signed a consent order in November 2020 agreeing to leave practice until Oregon State Board of Nursing reviewed the case. Her license was restored or reinstated in January 2021.
Dejania Oliver is the breaking news reporter for the Statesman Journal. Contact her at DAOliver@salem.gannett.com or follow on Twitter @DejaniaO.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem Health employee being investigated for video mocking patient
