THE healthcare workers who appeared to be making fun of patients in a sick TikTok post have now been fired.
Staffers at a clinic managed by the California company Sutter Health sparked fury after the images surfaced.
Workers were seen posing next to exam chairs in the clinic[/caption]
In the chilling post, workers at the Sansum Clinic, located in Santa Barbara, were seen chuckling as they seemed to mock patients.
The video, which was a carousel of images, included pictures of hospital chairs stained with fluids, and snaps of workers posing for the camera.
The staffers in the post, which was shared by an ex-worker who left the company in July, were put on administrative leave.
Sutter Health officials have now confirmed they’ve been dismissed.
“Sutter Health has terminated the employees responsible for the inappropriate and insensitive photos posted on social media,” the company posted on X on Wednesday.
“This unacceptable behavior is an outright violation of our policies, shows a lack of respect for our patients and will not be tolerated.
“Protecting the trust of those we serve is our highest priority, and when that trust is violated, we take swift action to address it.”
Officials had confirmed that the person who shared the video was an ex-staffer.
One sick picture showed a worker squatting on a table, while another posed with her leg up on another.
The woman squatting was crouched down in the praying position.
Another showed a healthcare worker wearing blue scrubs sticking her tongue out.
She was seen leaning toward a seat, which had a paper towel covering it. The tissue had some sort of stain on it.
The montage included captions that appeared on screen, saying: “Are patients allowed to leave you guys gifts?”
Sutter Health statement
SUTTER Health has confirmed the workers who appeared to be mocking patients in a TikTok post have been dismissed.
“Sutter Health has terminated the employees responsible for the inappropriate and insensitive photos posted on social media,” a company statement said.
“This unacceptable behavior is an outright violation of our policies, shows a lack of respect for our patients and will not be tolerated. Protecting the trust of those we serve is our highest priority, and when that trust is violated, we take swift action to address it.
“We expect all team members to live our patients-first mission and uphold the highest standards of compassion, professionalism and respect.
“We are using this inappropriate incident to reinforce our comprehensive policies with all our team members across the organization as part of our commitment to providing all patients with high-quality, compassionate care.”
Source: X
The video was labeled: “Guess the substance” and it sparked a furious reaction after going viral over the Labor Day weekend.
They said they had left the company, which runs 200 clinics across northern California, in July.
A flurry of one star Yelp reviews were submitted after the clips went viral.
Commentators didn’t mince their words as they launched scathing attacks on the clinic.
The clinic has received more than 200 one star reviews.
A Sutter Health representative said they were left “deeply concerned” after the video surfaced.
“The trust and dignity of our patients always remain our top priority,” the spokesperson said.
They labeled the social media post as “disrespectful” and chiefs launched an investigation.
Officials stressed the video contravened the company’s policies of professionalism and respect.
“We have strict policies to protect patient privacy and dignity and any behavior that disrespects those standards is unacceptable,” they said.
“The trust and dignity of our patients always remain at the center of everything we do.”
Sutter Health in its current form dates back to 1996 following the merger of two healthcare systems.
Sutter Health, based in Sacramento, joined forces with the California Healthcare System to create one corporation.
More than 50,000 people work for the healthcare company.
It provides healthcare to more than three million people across California.
Chairs appeared to be covered with bodily fluids[/caption]
