Ex-Rideout nurse charged in alleged elder abuse

Sept. 30--A former Rideout Memorial Hospital certified registered nurse has been charged with criminal elder abuse for allegedly using unauthorized restraints on a patient.

The alleged incident is the same one that led to misdemeanor charges against former Rideout CEO Theresa Hamilton and another hospital official for failing to report a violation.

A complaint was filed by the Attorney General's Office on Friday charging Deborah McNamara in Yuba County Superior Court with one count felony false imprisonment of an elder or dependent adult and one count misdemeanor elder or dependent adult abuse.

The maximum possible sentence, if McNamara is convicted, is 4 1/2 years' incarceration.

Former CEO Theresa Hamilton-Casalegno and Istikram Qaderi, the hospital's senior vice president-chief quality officer, were charged with failing to report a suspected incident of dependent adult abuse and with impeding others from reporting the abuse.

The Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud & Elder Abuse received a forwarded letter from three anonymous people reporting suspicions that a patient was abused by McNamara, according to a declaration of probable cause filed in court by an investigator with the Department of Justice.

Nurses, nurse assistants, a clinical coordinator, labor relations manager, nursing director and the director of risk management were interviewed during the investigation, the declaration says.

McNamara told investigators with the state Department of Public Health the patient needed a bath, shampoo and shave. She slowly coaxed him into bathing by starting at his feet, and when he started to get upset, she told him she would have to tie him down, according to the declaration.

She admitted she tied him down, the document says. Others said they heard her either threaten to tie him down or admit she did because he was being difficult.

The patient confirmed he had been tied down and said it made him sick to his stomach. When asked about the incident, he became "teary eyed," the declaration says.

The 51-year-old patient was admitted on Jan. 20, 2013, with a diagnosis of acute psychosis. His care is paid by Medicare and Medi-Cal, according to court documents.

McNamara was served with a notice to appear in court Nov. 4.

CONTACT reporter Monica Vaughan at 749-4783 and on Twitter @AD_Vaughan.

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