An Atlantic County registered nurse accused of repeatedly assaulting a 10-year-old autistic boy has agreed to the temporary suspension of her license.
Naomi Derrick is accused of stabbing the boy numerous times with a hypodermic needle and bending back his finger until it cracked to get him to follow her orders while at the inpatient psychiatric unit at AtlantiCare Regional Center's City Campus.
The assaults allegedly happened May 15. Derrick was fired the next day, according to the release.
The hospital notified the family about the incidents, saying they were on video, a family member said.
"We are appalled and deeply saddened that this occurred," read a statement released by AtlantiCare. "We are committed to the safety of our patients and staff. As soon as we became aware of the situation we notified the child’s family as well as law enforcement and regulatory authorities. We suspended and terminated the nurse involved."
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office is now investigating the case for any possible criminal charges.
"Because this is now a criminal investigation, it is not appropriate for us to comment further," the hospital's statement continued. "We have and will continue to give our full cooperation to law enforcement and regulatory officials."
Derrick agreed to the temporary suspension after acting Attorney General Christopher Porrino filed a complaint with the Board of Nursing accusing Derrick of gross negligence, professional misconduct and incompetence in her treatment of the child, who resides at the medical facility.
“A developmentally disabled child, confined to a psychiatric ward under the supervision of nurses, is as vulnerable a patient as you can find,” Porrino said.“Instead of caring for this boy and protecting him from harm, as was her duty, Naomi Derrick allegedly used her position of authority to bully and assault him. There is no place in the healthcare profession for this kind of barbaric behavior.”
In a series of incidents captured on a video camera in the boy’s room and/or witnessed by another hospital employee, Derrick several times brandished the syringe in a menacing manner and threatened the boy that she would “give him the needle” if he did not behave, according to the filed documents. On at least six occasions throughout the day, Derrick stabbed the boy with the unsheathed hypodermic needle, sometimes repeatedly, according to the filed documents. She stuck the boy in his upper arm, thigh, kneecaps, foot, and hand – each time drawing droplets of blood, according to the documents.
Derrick also attempted to force the boy to follow her orders by stepping on his bare foot with her shoe, forcing him to fall by repeatedly shoving a chair he was holding onto, and bending his pinky finger back until a crack was heard, the documents state.
“Naomi Derrick will have no access to patients — child or adult— while these appalling allegations against her are pending,” said Steve Lee, director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. “Her alleged actions demonstrate a shocking departure from the most basic standards of care, let alone the standard of care one would expect for a child with special needs. If Nurse Derrick had not agreed to voluntarily surrender her license, the board was prepared to take action to suspend it.”
Derrick is now required to immediately surrender her nursing licenses to the board's attorney and is barred from practicing pending further action of the board and resolution to any criminal charges that may be filed against her.
The Enforcement Bureau of the Division of Consumer Affairs conducted the investigation.
Patients who believe that they have been treated by a licensed health care professional in an inappropriate manner can file an online complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 800-242-5846 within New Jersey or 973-504-6200.
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