Nursing Home Workers Should Report Social Media Posts That Violate Residents’ Rights
Nursing home employees are crucial in helping identify violators of the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act, including the reporting of other workers who choose to document and publish these unforgiveable acts on popular social media platforms. If you are aware of any harassing video, photo, story, or mention of resident abuse, invasion of resident privacy, or proof of neglect posted to a social networking site such as TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, or through a message, group text, or in an online community, there are several things you can do to report what you have seen.
The nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Levin & Perconti strongly encourage you to:
- Never participate in the social media post or engage with the content or its users by liking, sharing, commenting, or replying to a text message.
- Gather evidence by taking screenshots and, if you are able, save any video, texts, or images, as well as all user information and social media profiles.
- Report what you have seen immediately to the facility’s administrators and share the evidence with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Department’s Bureau of Long-term Care.
- Call the nursing home whistleblower hotline at 312-332-2872 to discuss how you can work with an attorney to protect the safety and well-being of the residents involved. Your rights are protected as a whistleblower in Illinois.
We encourage you to report what you see as soon as possible to someone other than the facility managers or your superiors to ensure corrective action will be taken.
Illinois Nursing Home Employees Will Be Protected from Employer Retaliation
At Levin & Perconti, we applaud the many overworked and underpaid care workers who ultimately save lives by reporting their co-workers, managers, and even their friends who choose to disregard the care, privacy, and treatment of nursing home residents. But we also know many more workers are afraid to report these incidents in fear of retaliatory actions made against their careers by the nursing home industry. Please know that the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act and Illinois Whistleblower Act protect all workers from retaliation for reporting or threatening to report a violation of the law or regulation concerning the care and privacy of nursing home residents.
If You See Abuse or Neglect, Schedule a Free and Confidential Meeting with a Lawyer Today
At Levin & Perconti, we recognize the need to hold people who ultimately violate the law, rules, or regulations accountable concerning the care and treatment of patients or residents in their charge. Our experienced legal team represents people throughout the greater Chicago area, the state of Illinois, and nationwide, winning major lawsuits involving nursing home abuse and neglect caught on social media. Please, contact us now for a FREE consultation at (312) 332-2872 in Chicago, or toll-free at 1-877-374-1417. Consultations with our attorneys are confidential.
