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How did nurse aide convicted of elder neglect keep Virginia license?


Posted on Feb 28, 2011

How would you feel if your family member living in a Virginia nursing home had a toe amputated thanks to the negligence of a certified nurse’s aide (CNA)?  And then, how would you feel if you found out that two years after your family member was hurt this nurse is still holding her CNA license in Virginia?

 

This is a real-life scenario, which started two years ago when certified nurse’s aide Ophelia Tarpeh was accused of causing an injury to a 61-year old half-paralyzed woman that the woman’s big toe had to be amputated.

 

The reason this case became complicated is because Tarpeh was working in an Annandale, Virginia nursing home but traveling to a dentist appointment in Washington D.C. with the resident when the incident occurred.  It was the U.S. attorney’s office in D.C. that filed misdemeanor criminal neglect charges against Tarpeh, and it was in D.C. that Tarpeh was finally convicted of those charges two weeks ago.

 

However, when the Virginia nursing regulators first took a look at the charges against Tarpeh, they were limited in what they could discuss with her thanks to privacy rules.  Because of this, they never fully understood what had happened and they allowed her to keep her license.

 

In fact, despite being convicted of the charges against her a few weeks ago Tarpeh still has her license to practice as a CNA.  However, justice may be coming as the Virginia nursing regulators get ready to take a second look at her case.

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