Florida Nursing Home Employee Arrested for Prank Bomb Threats
Failure to execute an emergency preparedness plan in response to bomb threats may result in citations of immediate jeopardy and substandard quality of care for potentially placing residents and staff at risk.
Compliance Perspective – Bomb Threats
Policies/Procedures: The Compliance and Ethics Officer with the Administrator and Risk Manager will review policies and procedures detailing the all hazards content and expected response requirements of the facility’s Emergency Preparedness Plan.
Training: The Compliance and Ethics Officer, as well as every department head, will ensure that staff are trained and tested by conducting drills for emergency situations to determine that response occurs in a timely manner to safeguard residents, visitors, and staff.
Audit: The Compliance and Ethics Officer should personally conduct audits of periodic mock emergency situation drills and evaluate the effectiveness of staff response.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS REQUIREMENTS FOR NURSING HOME
CMS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST
A nursing home employee was arrested for making prank 911 bomb threat calls to a Florida nursing home on a dare from a co-worker. One call warned of an explosive device in the facility, and the other cautioned that the caller had been given a tip from an unknown source that “something suspicious” was placed in the facility’s two kitchens. The caller said she was not sure if the person giving the tip was “talking about a bombing or what.” She identified herself as Edward Brown, and then disconnected the call.
Police responded with six officers, but no explosive devices were found. The police report noted that the facility was not evacuated.
Video surveillance was viewed, and it showed the call was made from the facility’s hostess desk. The video also showed the defendant taking a cordless phone from the counter about the time the 911 calls were made.
When the police went to the nursing home and spoke with the defendant, she initially denied making the calls, but later admitted that she did it on a dare from another employee. The defendant expressed remorse and was later released from the county jail after posting a $5,000 bond.
