AG: Woodmere Nurses Ignored Patient

Four nurses at a Five Towns health and rehabilitation center were charged Wednesday with falsifying medical records that led to a disabled patient injuring himself, according to the State Attorney General.

Riadel Manzano, 43, of East Williston, Rodel Placino, 44, of Hewlett, Marrianne Borromeo, 41, of Woodside, and Benetia Johnson, 25, of St. Albans, were arrested by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, AG Eric Schneiderman said.

The victim was hurt between June 1 and June 9, 2012 under the care of the four nurses at Woodmere Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, the AG said.

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After suffering a series of falls, the victim, a disabled nursing home resident, was required by his doctor to be monitored every 30 minutes, officials said. The nurses documented that they had monitored the victim properly when, in reality, they had not, the AG said.

While he was being ignored, the victim fell, struck his head, and had to be hospitalized for a laceration that required staples in his scalp, officials said. The day after he returned to the Woodmere facility, he was found sitting on the floor and had to be hospitalized with respiratory failure and pulmonary edema, the AG said.

“The charges in this case allege a shocking level of neglect and mistreatment, which caused serious injury to a patient,” Schneiderman said in a statement Wednesday. “We have no tolerance for nursing home employees who fail to provide responsible care to patients in need. New Yorkers must know that their loved ones in nursing facilities are safe and being cared for by trustworthy individuals.”

All four were charged with first-degree falsifying business records, Schneiderman said.

Manzano, who served as the Director of Nursing Services and supervised the defendants, was also charged with first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and tampering with physical evidence, the AG said.

All four were arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead and are due back in court later this month.

Photos: (L-R) Riadel Manzano, Rodel Placino, Benetia Johnson, Marrianne Borromeo. Credit: Attorney General’s Office