UR Medicine Thompson Health deeply regrets this breach of privacy and lack of respect shown to any affected residents and their families. We are reaching out to the families to personally offer our sincere apologies.
When we learned of wrongdoing by the individuals involved, we immediately reported to the appropriate authorities and are cooperating fully with their investigations. We have no evidence that pictures of our residents were used maliciously or shared publicly outside this small group of individuals. The individuals admitted their actions were wrong and that they had deliberately concealed their inappropriate activity from the residents, their families, and from us. Those implicated have had their employment terminated.
Upon hiring, all staff at M.M. Ewing Continuing Care Center receive training on protecting and respecting resident privacy. This training is reinforced on a continuous basis. These individuals received this training and disregarded it, in violation of our professional expectations and our organization’s corporate culture.
Going forward, we are requiring additional training for our employees on requirements for respecting resident privacy and exploring additional measures to ensure compliance. Thompson Health is firmly committed to ensuring all our staff members provide respectful, compassionate care.