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WARREN -- Three former nurses at Washington Square Healthcare Center have filed a lawsuit alleging they were fired after reporting suspected narcotics theft, shortages of insulin supplies and patient neglect at the Warren nursing home.
The lawsuit, filed Oct. 7 in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, names the facility’s operator, Harbor Operator LLC, several affiliated AOM Healthcare companies and three nursing administrators.
Miranda Curtin of Youngstown, Marilyn Hazlerig of Leavittsburg and Leanne Shafer of Warren, all licensed practical nurses, contend they lost their jobs after reporting problems to supervisors and state investigators.
Aaron Hetrick, regional director of operations for AOM Healthcare and one of the defendants named in the lawsuit, denied the allegations in a written statement.
"We completely deny the allegations. The nurses at issue were terminated for policy violations,” Hetrick said.
"The safety and well-being of our residents continues to be of the utmost importance to Washington Square. Washington Square has been a part of the community for over 60 years and has provided care to countless residents and will continue do so."
Hetrick said the company would not comment further because of the pending litigation.
State inspection records obtained from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services document issues around medication handling, nursing oversight and shortages of insulin syringes.
Attorney Subodh Chandra, lead counsel for the nurses, said his firm has begun hearing from other former employees and families who have raised similar concerns about the nursing home.
"We are now starting to hear from other families and other former employees who are all reporting consistent issues with this establishment," Chandra said.
He said the firm is investigating those reports.
According to the allegations in the lawsuit, Hazlerig, who worked at Washington Square for nearly 12 years, began reporting suspected narcotics theft in November 2025.
Hazlerig alleged that two other nurses signed out narcotic medications prescribed to a deceased resident and, on other occasions, recorded administering two doses when only one was given.
The lawsuit states that Hazlerig reported her concerns to supervisors, including then-Director of Nursing Dana Stevenson and Assistant Director of Nursing Stephanie Pappas, but the problems continued.
Hazlerig subsequently reported the concerns to the Ohio Department of Health.
According to the lawsuit, Hazlerig was suspended March 30 and terminated April 13, despite having no previous disciplinary history during her employment.
According to the lawsuit, the facility cited alleged violations involving a resident’s medical information and treatment orders as grounds for her termination. Hazlerig disputes those allegations, and the lawsuit contends that the reasons given for her firing were pretexts for retaliation.
Curtin and Shafer allege they faced similar retaliation after reporting a shortage of insulin syringes that forced nursing staff to use insulin supplies assigned to other residents.
According to the allegations in the lawsuit, the facility went without insulin syringes for approximately a week, leaving nurses to choose between withholding prescribed insulin and using supplies belonging to other patients.
The lawsuit alleges that supervisors knew about the shortages, but failed to correct them.
Curtin and Shafer say they were interviewed by state investigators May 19 and reported concerns involving the insulin shortages and resident care. Both were suspended that day and fired May 22, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges other nurses acknowledged sharing insulin supplies between residents, but were not terminated.
STATE RECORDS
Records from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services detail issues at the facility.
During an inspection completed May 29, state investigators found that Washington Square failed to demonstrate effective leadership of its overall operations, something that could have affected all 74 residents living at the facility. The inspection report includes interviews with nurses who acknowledged using insulin prescribed to other residents because the facility lacked syringes.
One nurse acknowledged the practice, telling investigators, "I know it is wrong. I just do not really have a choice as they need their insulin."
A separate inspection completed March 25 found that a nurse continued working at Washington Square after the Ohio Board of Nursing suspended her license Jan. 22 because of narcotic diversion. According to the inspection report, the nurse worked 13 shifts after the Jan. 22 license suspension, performing nursing duties that included administering medications.
Inspectors found that the facility didn't conduct the required nursing license verifications. The nurse’s employment ended Feb. 25 after the administrator received an anonymous report about the suspended license.
Another inspection, completed April 20, documented injuries to a resident who was improperly transported in a wheelchair to a medical appointment.
The resident, who had limited mobility following a stroke, was diagnosed with a fractured tibia after his leg was improperly positioned during transportation, according to inspectors. The facility disputed the citation.
According to the allegations in the lawsuit, Shafer also raised concerns about the resident’s injury and the facility’s handling of the incident, including delays in documenting the injury and notifying the resident’s family.
Medicare’s Care Compare website lists 31 health deficiencies for Washington Square, compared with averages of 10.5 for Ohio nursing homes and 9.2 nationally.
Although the lawsuit cites state inspection findings, those findings do not establish whether the nurses were unlawfully terminated.
ATTORNEYS CALL FOR GREATER OVERSIGHT
Chandra said the lawsuit raises questions about the oversight of nursing homes, particularly those caring for veterans.
"The state and federal government need to address these issues," Chandra said, adding that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs also should examine the facility’s operations. He questioned whether the state inspection findings have been sufficient to discourage further problems.
Washington Square markets itself as the only VA-approved skilled nursing facility in Trumbull County, according to the lawsuit.
Local co-counsel Martin Desmond said the civil lawsuit is intended to obtain justice for the three nurses.
"In a civil case, we don’t have a lot of power to change the way the organization is run," Desmond said.
He said public attention to the allegations could encourage regulatory agencies to take additional action.
"Thankfully, (the nurses) didn’t just turn a blind eye to what was going on," Desmond said. "They did stick up for the patients."
Chandra said the terminations have had lasting financial and emotional consequences for the three nurses.
"They’re having a very challenging time," he said.
One nurse has been unable to find another job, while another has been unable to replace her previous earnings, Chandra said.
"(They) became nurses to help people, to help people through their most difficult days," he said. "And that’s what they’ve devoted their lives to."
The lawsuit names Stevenson, Pappas and Hetrick as individual defendants, along with the facility operator and affiliated companies.
In addition to whistleblower retaliation, the nurses allege that Stevenson and Pappas made false statements during a state investigation and that the defendants engaged in a civil conspiracy against them.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages, lost wages and benefits, attorney fees and other relief.