By DENISE A. RAYMO
TUPPER LAKE — A former health-care worker is charged with abusing an 88-year-old bed-ridden resident at Adirondack Medical Center's Mercy Nursing Home.
John Ette, 42, a former certified-nurse aide, is accused of hitting, grabbing and punching the visually and dementia-impaired woman last October, leaving her with a broken collarbone and facial bruising.
Nursing Home staff noticed the woman's severe injuries the next morning and notified administrators and her family.
Ette was fired immediately following an internal investigation last October, AMC Communications Manager Joe Riccio said Thursday.
The probe also revealed that Ette did not follow the hospital's procedures and policies for reporting the incident, Riccio said.
"AMC Mercy self-reported the event to the State Department of Health, which referred the matter to the Attorney General's Office for further investigation," he said.
Ette was charged Wednesday by the Attorney General's Office with second-degree endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person and willful violation of health laws.
He was arraigned before Tupper Lake Town Justice Leonard Young and sent to Franklin County Jail in lieu of $1,000 bail.
If convicted, Ette could face a maximum of four years in state prison.
"Nursing-home care must be administered with the respect and professionalism that New York's seniors deserve," Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in a news release.
"It is appalling when our dependent and vulnerable loved ones are victimized by the very people who are entrusted with their care."
Riccio said the victim continued to be a resident at the Nursing Home, and her family was notified of Ette's arrest.
He said the hospital and Nursing Home have a zero-tolerance policy on abuse and that all staff and employees are put through a rigorous screening and background check before they are hired.
Nothing in Ette's background indicated past instances of abuse, he said.
"We want to reassure families that we are taking the proper steps to protect the safety and well-being of our residents, patients and staff," AMC's Chief Financial Officer Patrick Facteau said.
"This isolated event is not a reflection of the dedicated and compassionate staff that does an excellent job of caring for our patients and residents."
E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com
