The Department of Justice interviews former KVHD CEO, Pam Ott

Former Kern Valley Healthcare District, CEO, Pam Ott, pictured here, in Oct. 2006.





Ott now under investigation by the Department of Justice for her role in the skilled nursing facility scandal which has lead to three indictments.

In 2007, after Ott stepped down as CEO and SNF administrator, she was interviewed by the investigators from the DOJ.

Below is the document, and you can click on it to read it.

Let's go through this report together and see what we come up with. I will add information about the report as we go along.

May 27, 2008 (is that the correct date, DOJ? It took a year to even interview her?)
First line, take note of the fact that she is described as the CEO and administrator.
In fact she signed most of the annual Center for Medicaid Services survey reports, and would have overall responsibility for the operations of the nursing center.
The law requires administrators to be responsible for the overall reporting for nursing centers.

What else do we have here. "Ott stated that the nurses came to her to voice their concerns with Hughes being rude and cruel to the staff, but was never made aware of the psychotropic medications being used or Hughes threatening staff for refusal to administer these medications." (Oh, yes she was made aware of the medications along with others too)

Oh, I beg to differ. But in fact, Ott brushed off many complaints from staff long before January 2007. But again she was busy selling a general obligation bond to the community, and the problems with the nursing center were set aside. Nurses came in Oct. 2006 to speak to her and the KVHD board about short staffing and as you see in the Urban Legend post, she called them a "pack of wolves." (next post, documents Pam Ott and others may want to forget)

The issue in this interview is skilled nursing facility resident, Louise Zimmerman, who, from what I understand died a few months ago. Zimmerman, was alleged to have been given a "forceful" injection of Risperdol, and antipsychotic drug, without the resident's consent.

It goes on to say that Ott conducted an internal investigation (Just like the fox investigated the henhouse) and found that Zimmerman had been "biting, kicking, and hitting others..."

Louise Zimmerman stayed in her room, she wouldn't come out to eat, and she would only eat if a nurse's aide came to her room and sat with her encouraging her to eat. That care requires that staff have time to feed her. And without enough staff, this may have been more of an issue than Risperdal when it came to her health and well being.

Zimmerman had also left her call light on all the time, demanding nurses come into her room.

Though she recieved a lot of pictures and letters from friends, she had no visitors to speak of, except for someone from social services. She made a lot of complaints to the state, being unhappy with her situation.

But my information on the resident shows she had minor violence issues, such as hitting a nurse, or throwing her food trays. Nothing I found reports that she was biting or kicking. However, that's what Ott's internal investigation found.

The last line in the report, seems like a Freudian slip to me. Sometimes we can't help it when our conscience speaks truth without us knowing it.

Regarding the injection of Risperdal, Ott stated she considered the incident, "elder abuse at the highest level."
Oh, yes, there's the truth. And who was at the highest level? The CEO/administrator, Pam Ott.


Ott interview with state investigators.


It includes Ott's own investigation, of what, herself. No, it was now time to scapegoat others.

Gwen Hughes, arrived in Aug. 2006, the new Director of Nursing in the skilled nursing facility.

We were told Hughes had more than 30 years experience in geriatrics, though the indictments say her experience was with psychiatric issues.