Tri-Cities health care workers accused of theft from elderly, inappropriate talk and more
Tri-Cities area health care workers have been investigated by the Washington state Department of Health for theft, alleged inappropriate conversations with a client and violating a no contact order.
Badr Eddine Elkhlifi has had his registered nursing assistant license suspended after he entered a legal order for violating a no contact order.
Elkhlifi was present at the Himalaya Adult Family Home in Pasco before it was closed and its owner, his wife, was accused of neglecting the medical needs of its residents.
In February 2022, Elkhlifi allegedly assaulted his wife, Yesenia A. Chavez, in the presence of elderly residents at the adult family home on Rio Grande Lane.
She requested that residents be transferred out of her adult family home when Elkhlifi was found there in violation of a domestic violence no contact order two months later.
After residents were transferred to other care, they complained about a lack of food, being left alone for days at a time and a lack of routine care at Himalaya Adult Family Home, according to the Washington state Department of Health.
They also said they were threatened with harm and there was little to no diabetes monitoring, exercise, activities or hygiene care.
Immobile patients were not being rotated in their beds or chairs to prevent bed sores, residents said.
The Department of Health also alleged that a cancer patient was found dead with a maggot-infested wound, according to state documents.
Chavez, a registered nursing assistant, has been charged with unprofessional care by the Department of Health, as previously reported by the Tri-City Herald.
Elkhlifi did not respond to Department of Health charges sent to him in May 2023, resulting in the suspension of his license. the Department of Health announced Monday. He may not apply to have the license reinstated for two years.
In July 2022 he entered a stipulated order of continuance for two years in Pasco City Municipal Court for a violation of a no contact order. The order prohibited him from working with vulnerable adults for two years.
More WA health care cases
▪ The home care aide license of Eldy E. Munoz has been revoked after he was convicted of second-degree theft, a felony, the Department of Health said in an announcement this summer.
He was sentenced to two days in jail in Benton County in 2022.
In September 2021, he entered the home of a vulnerable adult without permission and stole a prepaid debit card, according to the Department of Health. The vulnerable adult was his home care patient.
He used the card to purchase items for himself totaling $107, according to Department of Health documents.
▪ Stacey Renee Bennett, a certified home care aide in Kennewick, is charged with unprofessional conduct by the Washington Department of Health, it announced this month.
In late 2022, she had inappropriate conversations with a client while she was employed by ADDUS Homecare, according to state documents. The client was receiving services through the Developmental Disabilities Administration.
Bennett discussed smoking cannabis with him, taking a trip together on Amtrak, a sex toy and a dream she had about him.
She also visited him at his home outside of business hours without supervision.
The Department of Health said she blurred the ethical boundaries for her profession.
Under the terms of an agreed order, her home care aide certification is suspended for one year.
Before applying for reinstatement she must complete the Ethics and Boundaries Assessment Services exam.
▪ The Department of Health’s Board of Nursing has indefinitely suspended the registered nurse license of Elvia Lothrop of Franklin County.
Lothrop admitted that she had been convicted in 2019 of first-degree negligent driving while under the influence of a controlled substance. She was addicted to prescription opioid medications at the time of the conviction, according to a Washington state document.
In May she was ordered to participate in the Washington Health Professional Services monitoring program.
She did not comply with the program’s monitoring contract, according to the Department of Health.
▪ Allie Montez of Benton County has agreed to a cease-and-desist order.
She was accused of providing massage therapy services at a business she owns despite having no credentials. She will do no more massage therapy and pay a $250 fine, according to the Department of Health.
▪ Brenda Ramirez is accused by the Department of Health of practicing massage without a license in Franklin County. She has been notified that the state will issue a cease-and-desist order.
