One of Iowa's largest nursing home operators, Care Initiatives of West Des Moines, is confronting its third whistleblower retaliation lawsuit within the past year. Tina Weber, a registered nurse from Clemens, alleges that during her tenure from May 2021 to October 2024 at a Care Initiatives facility in Marshall County, she faced retaliatory actions after reporting concerns about patient care.

This lawsuit adds to a series of legal challenges for Care Initiatives, which operates 44 care facilities across Iowa. In the past 18 months, the company has been named in at least 10 wrongful death lawsuits, including four against Northcrest Specialty Care in Waterloo. These lawsuits allege negligence and inadequate care leading to patient harm or death.

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About Weber’s Lawsuit

Key Allegations:

• On Oct. 5, 2024, Tina Weber, an RN, witnessed a human resources worker grab the handles of a resident’s wheelchair, causing the resident to fall.
• The resident, who has schizophrenia, was trying to leave during an argument with the HR worker.
• Weber reported the incident to the assistant director of nursing and documented it in the resident’s chart.

Alleged Attempts to Change Weber’s Account:

• The next day, the director of nursing texted Weber, requesting her to change the chart:
  “Could you strike out original note… say she was assisting with the wheelchair and he put himself on the ground?”
• Weber responded:
  “So not the...

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