Failure to Secure Resident Mail Results in Privacy Breach
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain privacy and confidentiality of a resident's mail when staff left a card under the resident's pillow while the resident was admitted to the hospital. The resident later reported that the card was stolen and used at a neighborhood store. According to interviews, the activity staff are responsible for delivering mail directly to residents, and if a resident is not present, the mail should be given to social services for secure storage. In this instance, the activity staff did not follow the established procedure and left the mail in the resident's room, unaware that the resident was out of the facility. The facility's mail delivery policy requires mail to be handed directly to residents or securely stored if the resident is unavailable.