The Health Systems Quality Assurance Division of the state Department of Health recently took disciplinary actions or has withdrawn charges against these Clark County health care providers.
In December, the Nursing Commission entered an agreement with registered nurse Robert John Wattez that places his credential on probation for at least one year and fines him $500. The Oregon State Board of Nursing put Wattez on probation in 2013 in connection with sexually inappropriate behavior toward co-workers.
In December, the Nursing Assistant Program reinstated the certified nursing assistant credential of Cindy M. Wheeler, also known as Cindy M. Higdon, and placed her on probation for at least two years. Wheeler’s credential was suspended in 2012 after she didn’t give medication to patients at a boarding home where she worked.
In December, the Nursing Assistant Program charged registered nursing assistant Robert B. McBain with unprofessional conduct. Charges say McBain and his wife owned and operated an adult family home that admitted a 97-year-old dementia patient. While at the home, the patient allegedly developed wounds due to substandard care. He was then admitted to a hospital as a result, and then to hospice care where the patient died. The Department of Social and Health Services found that McBain had neglected a vulnerable adult.
