St. John’s lawyer Bob Buckingham filed documents today for a class-action lawsuit against Eastern Health on behalf of Tammy Ruth Taylor of St. John’s and other patients claiming damages for breach of personal health information.
Taylor was informed last month by Eastern Health her medical records were inappropriately accessed by a recently-fired nurse.
"I am very hurt, angry and fearful as a result of this breach," Taylor said in a news release.
"I am particularly disturbed by the actions of the individual who accessed my information and am concerned about the reasons why my file was accessed, and in the circumstances I have felt terrified.”
Taylor says she was told her medical records, demographic information and visitation history were accessed on Nov. 24, 2011.
Taylor said her ex-husband is the current boyfriend of Colleen Weeks, a former Eastern Health nurse who was fired for inappropriately accessing the medical records of more than 100 patients.
The class action was filed in the registry of the Newfoundland Supreme Court trial division in St. John's and has been served on the Eastern Regional Health Authority.
Taylor is not happy with the manner in which Eastern Health has handled the situation.
The statement of claim filed with the class action alleges Eastern Health was negligent in failing to ensure that its standards for maintenance of personal health information and/or confidential private records, fell below the level of care expected. And that Eastern Health failed to establish safeguards to protect patients from employees’ accessing their records without authority to do so.
The defendant seeks damages for such things as loss of work and income as a result of the defendant’s actions, damages for intentional breach of privacy, negligence, and aggravated, punitive and/or exemplary damages, and legal costs.
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
And let's not forget her brother-the warden that got caught bringing drugs into the Pen. And the fact that she also tried to sue the justice system when her son escaped and was at large for 10 days. I smell a big rat here....again!