Wrap your heads around this...evidence

I covered the Christmas party at the Skilled Nursing Facility in Dec. 2006 for the Kern Valley Sun Newspaper. Strange things happened that night. After I read the indictments in the cases against Hughes, Pormir, and Hayes, and I saw Pam Ott as a witness for the prosecution, I couldn't believe it.

I went back through my emails and found this exchange (some names have been removed for privacy purposes; others are left in)

-----Original Message-----
From: Laura Hart [mailto:muymala@msn.com]
Sent: Thursday, December 21, 2006 1:01 PM
To: Ott, Pamela
Subject: the party
Well Pam, there were some strange incidents around that party last night.
First, I guess, would be that the happy couple showed up and took one look at me and turned around and left.
Then Gwen came spinning out and said she had a security problem to take care of; you, well, I think I may have seen you there for a minute.
So, what was up?
-----Original Message-----
From: muymala@msn.com
To: @netscape.net
Sent: Thu, 21 Dec 2006 4:19 PM
Subject: and so it goes...

Funnier yet, it turns out that Gwen chased them down the hallway in her wheelchair to assure that they left, cliping BK's shin at one point (it's wrong, but can't help but laugh).

Recall: Bill has apparently already talked to an attorney and gotten the forms. Haven't heard anything for a couple of weeks.

Pamela Ott
Bakersfield, CA 93312

In March of 2006, the DHS report came out that every reporter reads from now.
It had been out earlier but Ott and the other crew didn't tell me. I knew it was all bad from there.
The now famous video during the 5/3/2007 meeting where Ott resigned, with Bob Jamison threatening lawsuits and threatening to kick my "skinny ass out of the SNF."
I went to the hospital, told by an outsider that the phone book sized report was hanging in the glass hallway. When I went to look at it, I was seized upon by employees trying to keep me from reading it. Jamison's version was not correct and was just his normal inflammatory condition. I did use swear words, I admit. But not where any patients could have heard. I would not do a thing like that.
In March, after I saw the report, (the one from the year before is also problematic, but that is for another day) I couldn't believe they would so blind me and this community. Here is the email exchange between Ott and I about the matter:

-----Original Message-----
From: muymala@msn.com
To: @netscape.net
Sent: Fri, 9 Mar 2007 4:54 PM
Subject: Fw: SNF survey
Pam: I'm sending this over to you hoping you will tell me it's not true; that I wasn't the last to know.

Ott's explanation:
Here's the deal:

I do not know why the POC is posted yet, because we have sent it in to DHS and do not have confirmation of acceptance yet. Yes, as is usual, there is a statement in the cover letter that DHS will recommend to CMS that a fine be imposed and that admissions will not be paid by medicare/medicaid after March 13th. This is common when there are citations. Here's the interesting thing,
1. I have sent a letter of "Informal dispute" to DHS because after investigation, the medications that we were using that caused the concern by DHS are considered safer and are standard of practice now (Their reason for citing us under "physical restraint and unnecessary drugs was based upon the fact that they have been used for psychiatric reasons in the past). The reality is that we hired 2 psychiatrists who both recommended continuing the use of the medication (and in some cases, recommended increasing the drug). Also, Naomi and I attended a conference in Pasadena 3 weeks ago where the great CMS/DHS quality improvement Geriatric Guru from UCLA (Dr. Stephen Castle) spoke to the treatment of Alzheimers Dementia and recommended prescription of the very medications that we were giving our residents based upon their behaviors.
2. Interestingly enough, when DHS sends out a letter of intent as our letter states, they include a contact person at CMS where the letter of recommendation is sent. This time, there is no such contact, and as a matter of fact, we have not heard from CMS. I do not know if it is an oversight by DHS, or that they do not believe that their case is strong enough and did not report???

To make a long story short, we do not have a final answer about acceptance of plan of correction, we do not have a response to my "informal dispute" of certain "Tags" that they, in my minds eye and our medical staff's opinion, were wrong in citing us, and there is nothing to report yet because we are not done with the process. No fines have been imposed and may not be (hopeful thinking, however).

Pamela Ott
Bakersfield, CA 93312