By Elizabeth Simpson
The Virginian-Pilot
RICHMOND
The Virginia Board of Nursing took action Wednesday against an aide accused of abusing elderly patients in Virginia Beach, revoking her right to work in nursing homes in the commonwealth.
The former certified nurse aide, Patricia Annette Dukes Moore, worked at three nursing homes and one assisted-living facility between summer 2001 and mid-January of this year.
The board revoked her right to renew her nurse aide certification, which had expired in May. The board also issued a "finding of abuse" against Moore. That prohibits her from working in Virginia long-term-care facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid insurance, which nearly all nursing homes depend on for funding.
Moore was not present for the board's review. She also did not appear at an informal August conference at which she could have addressed the allegations. The Virginian-Pilot was unable to reach Moore for comment.
A letter sent to the address listed on her Board of Nursing hearing notice was returned, and a phone number listed for the address has been disconnected.
Moore can appeal the board's order in Circuit Court.
The allegations against Moore were gathered by a Board of Nursing investigator, who reported that Moore had bruised the genitals and groin area of a resident, had an inappropriate relationship with a patient, cursed at residents, threatened not to clean them, and failed to take their vital signs or turn them as needed. She also has tested positive for marijuana use and was diagnosed with a mental health condition that requires medication and treatment, according to the board investigator's report.
The investigator also included in the report information about alleged abuse that occurred eight years ago at a nursing home in Biloxi, Miss. The report said Moore grabbed a resident by the hair and slammed the woman's head into the side rail of a bed, leaving a bruised area on her forehead. She was fired as a result of the incident, according to the report.
Moore worked at the Kare Centre in Biloxi in 1999 before coming to Virginia Beach to work at Atria, an assisted-living facility; Virginia Beach Health Care and Rehabilitation; Heritage Hall; and Beacon Shores.
Elizabeth Simpson, (757) 446-2635, elizabeth.simpson@pilotonline.com
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