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Deanna Lee Hamilton, 64, of Dauphin, and Margaret Susan Nies, 71, of Hummelstown, were nurses at a Spring Creek Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Harrisburg, in December 2019 when a male resident fell and was seriously injured—he was later hospitalized and died on Jan. 1, 2020, as detailed in the release.
It all started on Christmas Day, 2019 when Nies, a Licensed Practical Nurse was responsible for overseeing the nursing care for all residents on her assigned floor, was called to the man’s room after staff found him on the floor.
"According to Spring Creek policy, an incident of this nature is considered an unwitnessed fall and required Nies to document the incident and call a Registered Nurse to assess the resident for injuries and put in place specific monitoring protocols to check for latent injuries," as stated in the release.
But Nies "disregarded facility policy and directed staff to pick the man off of the floor" an never assessing the man, documenting the incident, or called an RN, according to the release.
Days later, on December 29, 2019, Hamilton, a Registered Nurse, was working as a RN Supervisor at Spring Creek. She too was responsible for the nursing care for all of the residents in her assigned building during her shift. Hamilton also was called to the man’s room after staff once again found him on the floor.
"Although several witnesses reported concerns with the man’s condition, which included a visible injury to his head, Hamilton failed to follow established protocol to ensure the man was properly assessed and monitored for latent injuries," the AG's office stated int he release.
The man was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma before he passed away on New Year's Day 2020.
“The defendants were responsible for the safety and wellbeing of the residents under their supervision. They had multiple opportunities to provide this resident with the care he urgently needed, but failed to fulfill their duties as nurses and caregivers,” said AG Henry. “Our office is committed to protecting the safety of seniors and care-dependent Pennsylvanians, and will work tirelessly to hold accountable those who knowingly neglect vulnerable individuals.”
"A Grand Jury investigation revealed that neither nurse followed protocol in how they responded to the man’s condition. Hamilton is also charged with covering up the conduct by omitting and misstating information on the man’s medical chart," as stated in the release.
Hamilton has been charged with a felony for neglect of a care-dependent person and a misdemeanor for tampering with or fabricating evidence. Nies has been charged with a misdemeanor count of neglect of a care-dependent person.
Both defendants were charged on March 24; Nies was arraigned that same day; Hamilton was arraigned on March 27. Bail was set at $10,000 unsecured for both defendants the AG stated and court records confirmed.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Christopher R. Sherwood. Their preliminary hearings are set before Magisterial District Judge Michael J. Smith on April 12 at 10 a.m., as detailed in their court dockets.
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