West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced that his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) has filed criminal charges against two Hopemont Hospital nursing staff members in connection with the death of a non-verbal patient in January 2024. The MFCU charged a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and a registered nurse (RN) with felony neglect of an incapacitated adult by a caregiver resulting in the incapacitated adult’s death. The MFCU’s investigation into the Jan. 4, 2024, incident determined the CNA helped the 61-year-old patient, who required round-the-clock care, into a tub to give him a bath, but she unreasonably failed to check the water temperature gauge, allegedly leaving him submerged in the 134-degree water for 47 minutes. That lengthy exposure to the scalding hot water caused second- and third-degree burns and blisters on the man’s feet and legs. The RN was informed about the burns and blisters, but investigators identified multiple failures in her care such as allegedly failing to implement appropriate treatment and therapy for his injuries “including but not limited to the use of pain medication.” The patient was later taken to West Penn Hospital Nursing-Burn Trauma Unit. He succumbed to his injuries Jan. 12, 2024.
