Mollye Barrows reports:
Several patients at Baptist Hospital in Jay say that hospital administrators told them staff members took “horrible” pictures of them late at night while they were asleep or under medication and posted those pictures on social media.
Jay Hospital officials say the employees have since been fired.
Pensacola personal injury attorney Joe Zarzaur says three different people have called him with similar claims that four employees at the Jay Hospital entered patient rooms and took “unflattering and unauthorized photos” of patients.
Patients say they were told the employees specifically posted them on Snapchat, a social media app popular for sending temporary photos and videos.
Zarzaur’s clients told him they learned about the incidents from hospital administrators who approached the affected families and patients, “seeking signatures on releases that included non-disclosure statements in exchange for monetary settlements.”
“(One) client was approached by hospital administration who just said, ‘We can’t tell you what these pictures show, and we can’t show you the pictures, but trust me, they’re horrible,’” Zarzaur said. “I think they offered $25,000 to start with and then they came back the next morning and they offered $50,000. The client wanted to know why they were so aggressive about it and why he couldn’t see the pictures. And the hospital administration was like, ‘Trust me, they’re just horrible.’”
Read more at Pensacola News Journal.