SC senior home investigates employee over online comments. Woman says they are fake
Update: Lexington police are investigating whether the messages widely shared on social media were faked.
A West Columbia nursing home is investigating an employee whose name it said was linked to “hurtful and vulgar” comments online.
The announcement comes after social media erupted over screen grabs of messages attributed to a woman identified as a nurse, with users calling for the woman to lose her job.
Carolina Gardens Senior Living posted a statement on its Facebook page attributed to Sevy Petras, CEO of parent company Priority Life Care, saying the company is “aware that a social media post containing hurtful and vulgar language has been linked to an employee of ours. The tone of this post is contrary to our values and culture that we adhere to.
“We at Priority Life Care are fully committed to maintaining a work environment that is free from intimidation and harassment based on race, creed, color, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law in the workplace.”
The company pledges “a careful and thorough investigation” to be “conducted in a manner that protects the privacy of all involved.”
The company did not provide specifics about the social media post linked to one of its employees. But posts shared with The State were attributed to a nurse who lives in Lexington.
In an incident report filed Wednesday, the woman claimed her account appeared to have been hacked while she was away on vacation. She told police she could not find any messages matching those in the images in her message history or on her Facebook page. Police are now investigating whether those messages were faked.
Anger at the woman identified in the messages was matched with confusion about where she works. Comments on the Lexington Medical Center Facebook page were met with a comment from the company that says, “Our Human Resources department has investigated and determined this is not an employee of Lexington Medical Center.
“At Lexington Medical Center, our goal is to provide our patients, families and visitors with the finest health care available,” the post reads. “This care begins with recognizing the dignity, diversity and worth of every individual in our community and committing to treat each other with respect and compassion.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 1:36 PM.
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