A Louisiana preschooler was allegedly abused at school. Then a hospital counselor discussed her chart with her principal
‘Impermissible disclosure’ preceded hospital counselor’s firing and departure of principal, her sister-in-law. The child’s attorney calls events ‘vile and repugnant’
TL;DR
- A hospital counselor was fired for accessing and disclosing information from a child's medical records to her sister-in-law, the child's preschool principal.
- The incident occurred during a civil lawsuit filed by the child's parents, who allege their daughter was sexually abused at the preschool.
- The counselor used an 'emergency' protocol to access the medical chart, despite not being part of the child's treatment team.
- Text messages revealed the counselor and principal discussed details from the child's medical file, including speculation about the father's potential abuse.
- The child's parents had been advocating for and successfully championed a new preschool safety law in Louisiana, facing opposition from private preschools.
- The counselor's termination and the principal's subsequent departure from her position followed the discovery of the medical record breach.
- The parents' attorney described the events as 'vile and repugnant,' highlighting the violation of HIPAA privacy rights.