Vickie Holtz thought she was doing the right thing when she alerted state health authorities to unsafe conditions at the Minneapolis care facility where she worked.
The director of nursing at Bywood East Health Care, a 96-bed boarding care home for adults with mental illnesses, said she became alarmed last fall when she was unable to hire staffing agencies or procure essential medical supplies because bills were going unpaid. In one case, an elderly resident who was unable to walk on her own went weeks without a proper wheelchair because of the facility's deteriorating finances.
"I was in tears because I realized that, if we can't get proper equipment and proper staff, then we can't maintain a safe level of care," said Holtz, a registered nurse who had worked at the facility for four-and-a-half years.
Now, Holtz, who is 52 and lives in Red Wing, is out of a job and is alleging a violation of the Minnesota Whistleblower Act, which prohibits employers from retaliating against staff who report violations of state law. She has not yet filed a formal complaint.
The former administrator said she was abruptly fired Monday, nearly five months after she warned state health officials that financial problems were putting residents in harm's way. Her warning triggered a far-reaching state investigation and a possible state takeover of the company that operates the facility. In October, the state Department of Health took the highly unusual step of asking a Ramsey County District...
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