Bakersfield Californian reports traveling nurse arrested on felony at KVHD: more trouble for ailing hospital's nursing center

Felony arrest of employee of the Kern Valley Healthcare District nursing center...again?

The Bakersfield Californian is reporting that Rene Gachon Gotico was arrested on Tuesday, August 24th, 2010, for an alleged elder abuse incident in the Kern Valley Healthcare District skilled nursing facility.

It has been reported that Gotico grabbed a resident by the neck and pushed her back into bed after she requested help from the nurse to go to the bathroom.

The Californian story goes on to say that the incident was witnessed and the proper authorities were notified, as the police came out and found the patient to have red marks around her neck.

While the elder abuse case has been in Kern County Superior Court

From charges of using psychotropic drugs stemming from Attorney General, Jerry Brown's investigation which brought about the arrests of three KVHD employees, including Dr. Hoshang Pormir, Geriatric nurse Gwen Hughes, and former CEO, Pam Ott, in 2009, to this new incident.

With the state's case in the Kern County Superior court this week for the preliminary hearing, news is that the older felony abuse case which may have shortened the lives of four KVHD nursing home residents, continues on to see if there is enough evidence to take the defendants to to trial.

How will this new incident reflect on the crumbling healthcare district

As the hospital, in dire financial trouble, seeks to obtain property tax dollars from residents of the Kern Valley, via a General Obligation Bond now on the Nov. 2 election ballot, this could not be considered good news as the election is only two and a half months away.

One community member hearing of the latest incident said, "this is out of control now, we can't vote to keep this hospital going the way it's going-it's getting , worse not better."

A local volunteer for the hospital said, remaining anonymous, alerted me that the problems are getting worse as nurses are understaffed in the nursing center and she said she knew something "terrible" would happen if they didn't get enough employees to cover the skilled nursing center.

I will follow up on Gotico, described in the article as a "traveling nurse" who has been working for the district "on and off" for fourteen years. Traveling nurses are temporary employees brought in to cover shifts which can't be handled with the current staff. (More on this situation: no overtime, traveling nurse brougth in to cover) The cost are higher, and often times the nurses are given housing along with the moving expenses.

According to the California Board of Nursing, Gotico, has had his Registered Nursing License since 1993 and the website shows no disciplinary action.

Updates on the new "felony" abuse case as it is another serious issue which will likely bring more attention to the hospital's reputation and ability to manage with serious shortages of money, even difficulty making payroll.

The hospital focusing on "Measure G" will have an uphill battle to climb as they have marketed the property tax measure as a 22.7 million dollar emergency room construction project.

Under fire, they have said many things on video over the past months and even years much of that will appear on our Youtube website for confirmation of the allegations of KVHD's lack of adhering to laws pertaining to public healthcare districts.

I'll send in questions to the hospital, but they have still not answered my public requests in a timely fashion, so we will see if the CEO, is willing to step forward and give a statement on behalf of the district

Here's the link to the article from Bakersfield Now a blog from the Bakersfield Californian.
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/local/x464578841/Nurse-arrested-on-felony-elder-abuse-charge

Update on Gotico as well as the on going preliminary case regarding the use of drugs to control the elderly patients of the hospital's nursing center.