The Washington State Department of Health recently released a list of actions that noted at least 27 health care professionals from around the state who were disciplined in September and November for various infractions.
Regionally, health care workers were reprimanded in Cowlitz, Thurston and Clark counties.
In Thurston County, a certified nursing assistant was sipping on gin and juice and wound up charged with unprofessional conduct by the Nursing Assistant Program. It is alleged that MaryAnn Mullins consumed a bottle of wine prior to arriving at a patient’s home in order to provide in-home care then proceeded to drink gin and juice at the home before subsequently lying down in a spare bedroom. Mullins then allegedly revealed to the patient that she was under treatment for alcohol misuse.
There were two actions taken in Cowlitz County.
First, the Nursing Assistant program filed an amended statement of charges against certified nursing assistant Tyler Justin McVey in order to reflect that earlier this year he was convicted of first-degree rape of a child and first-degree child molestation.
And the Unlicensed Practice Program came to an agreement with Chandel J. Lien that requires Lien to cease and desist from practicing veterinary medicine without a license and pay a $1,000 fine. Lien was previously advertising and performing veterinary services despite lacking a veterinary technician license.
There were also two actions taken in Clark County.
First, the secretary of health denied Barry Alan Galarneau Jr. a registered nursing assistant credential due to a series of seven felony and eight gross misdemeanor convictions between 1997 and 2014.
Lastly, the Nursing Commission ended probation for registered nurse Melissa R. Cummings.
The Health Systems Quality Assurance Division works with boards, commissions and advisory committees in order to set licensing standards for more than 80 health care professions, ranging from medical doctors to veterinarians.
Information about health care providers is available on the DOH website at doh.wa.gov. Visitors to the webpage should click on the “How Do I” section for more information. The site includes detailed information about the license status of health care workers, including the expiration and renewal date of their credential, disciplinary actions and copies of legal documents issued after July 1998. The information is also available by calling (360) 236-4700.
Health care consumers who think their provider has acted unprofessionally are encouraged to report their complaints.
