Nurse at Syracuse nursing home accused of physically abusing 92-year-old woman
Loretto Health and Rehabilitation Center at 700 E. Brighton Ave. (Mike Greenlar | mgreenlar@syracuse.com)
Syracuse, N.Y. -- A nurse manager at the Loretto Health and Rehabilitation Center in Syracuse has been accused of physically abusing a resident of the nursing home at 700 E. Brighton Ave. and falsifying records to cover it up.
Natalie Harris
Natalie M. Harris, 42, of Liverpool, was arrested July 30 and charged in Syracuse City Court based on a felony complaint filed by the state Attorney General's Office which is investigating the matter. The complaint says Harris abused a 92-year-old resident who did not want to move from her bed to a wheelchair on March 25. Harris grabbed the woman by the upper arms, lifted her from the bed and forced her into a wheelchair, causing substantial bruising on the resident's upper arms, according to the complaint.
The elderly woman became frightened and yelled, asking Harris to stop, the complaint says. Since the incident, the resident has been anxious and fearful of care providers, according to the complaint.
Harris denies the accusation, which she says is based on false statements made by co-workers who did not like her. She said she intends to fight the charges and go to trial. Harris said she has been a nurse for 14 years and worked for the last year at Loretto, managing a 34-bed unit on the eighth floor.
The complaint says the bruising was reported by other care providers to administration, which assigned Harris to investigate. Harris wrote in an incident report and medical records that the marks on the resident's arms were "senile purpura," a skin condition caused by blood vessel fragility in older people, according to the complaint.
But a doctor and a physician assistant diagnosed the marks as bruising, not senile purpura, according to the complaint.
"The false entries were made to hide or conceal the act of abuse which caused the bruising to the victim's upper arms," the complaint says.
Harris was charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person in the first degree and falsifying business records, both felonies. She also was charged with willful violation of the public health law, a misdemeanor.
Steve Volza, Loretto's chief operating officer, said the nursing home immediately suspended Harris when it learned of the allegation, then fired her after conducting its own investigation.
"Loretto takes any kind of claim of improper conduct against our elders seriously," Volza said.
You can contact health writer James T. Mulder at jmulder@syracuse.com or (315) 470-2245. Follow him on Twitter @JamesTMulder.
Natalie Harris The elderly woman became frightened and yelled, asking Harris to stop, the complaint says. Since the incident, the resident has been anxious and fearful of care providers, according to the complaint.
Harris denies the accusation, which she says is based on false statements made by co-workers who did not like her. She said she intends to fight the charges and go to trial. Harris said she has been a nurse for 14 years and worked for the last year at Loretto, managing a 34-bed unit on the eighth floor.
The complaint says the bruising was reported by other care providers to administration, which assigned Harris to investigate. Harris wrote in an incident report and medical records that the marks on the resident's arms were "senile purpura," a skin condition caused by blood vessel fragility in older people, according to the complaint.
But a doctor and a physician assistant diagnosed the marks as bruising, not senile purpura, according to the complaint.
"The false entries were made to hide or conceal the act of abuse which caused the bruising to the victim's upper arms," the complaint says.
Harris was charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person in the first degree and falsifying business records, both felonies. She also was charged with willful violation of the public health law, a misdemeanor.
Steve Volza, Loretto's chief operating officer, said the nursing home immediately suspended Harris when it learned of the allegation, then fired her after conducting its own investigation.
"Loretto takes any kind of claim of improper conduct against our elders seriously," Volza said.
You can contact health writer James T. Mulder at jmulder@syracuse.com or (315) 470-2245. Follow him on Twitter @JamesTMulder.
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