A Minnesota lawmaker says a state manager whose bureau oversees investigations into abuse and neglect in nursing homes was fired after she blew the whistle on a “toxic culture” that was an obstacle to ensuring that officials do a better job protecting residents of senior care facilities.
“I want answers,” said Sen. Karin Housley, R-Stillwater, who chairs the Senate Aging and Long-Term Care Policy Committee.
At a news conference Tuesday, Housley said Nancy Omondi was fired days before she was to meet with an investigator looking into widespread reported problems with how Minnesota investigates reports of elder abuse, including assault, neglect and theft, concerns detailed in a series in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Housley said Omondi filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Health’s human resources department Nov. 13 detailing a “toxic culture of bullying” that inhibited attempts to improve how things work.
Omondi herself declined to comment, but her attorney confirmed the broad strokes of what Housley said.
“She has a very strong whistleblower claim,” said Phil Villaume, a Bloomington employment lawyer. He declined to provide Omondi’s actual complaint Tuesday. He said a lawsuit is likely.
According to state records, Omandi was employed from Sept. 19, 2016, to Nov. 29, 2017, as director of the Health Regulation Division.
The division oversees several bureaus, including the Health Systems Bureau, which oversees the Office of Health Facilities Complaints — the office that investigates reports of abuse and neglect against patients and residents of care facilities.
A spokesman with the Department of Health said state personnel and privacy laws limited what he could say. He did not directly address questions about Omondi’s complaint.
“The core values of our department include integrity, respect and accountability,” spokesman Michael Schommer said. “We take all complaints raised by or against our employees at any level of the organization very seriously. We are coordinating with Minnesota Management and Budget to investigate the complaint and ensure best practices are followed at all points.”
In an expanded statement, the Department of Health said: “We have acknowledged time and again the challenges facing units within our Health Regulation Division. As the number of older Minnesotans seeking care has increased, we’ve seen a massive increase in the number of abuse and neglect allegations coming in from regulated facilities and care providers. We have requested and received additional resources to adjust to that increase, and we will continue to seek additional resources as needed.”
Housley said she had little desire to support giving the department more money until the workplace issues are addressed.