LONGVIEW, Texas — A Longview Fire Department employee accused of sharing private patient information has resigned after the agency opened an investigation into the alleged misconduct.
In a statement, the fire department said Thursday that officials received information on Aug. 3 that an employee had potentially shared private patient information, which violates department policy and possibly state and federal laws.
An investigation was opened and the department was prepared to place the employee on unpaid administrative leave depending on the outcome. The incident was self-reported to the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The next day, the fire department made multiple attempts via phone, text and in-person to notify the employee about the investigation. On Aug. 5 when the worker came in at 7 a.m., they resigned.
The statement said all Longview Fire Department employees receive appropriate training on rules and regulations concerning local, state and federal laws protecting personal information.
“The Longview Fire Department upholds the standards and practices of emergency services,” Longview Fire Chief J.P. Steelman said. “Unethical behavior of any kind will not be tolerated in our organization.”
According to reporting from the Longview News-Journal, a Facebook user with the name of "Anton Mee" posted screenshots of texts that appear to show photos of a screen with a patient's private information. In the Facebook post, the information is marked out of the photos. Another screenshot showed the sender followed the photos with a text to someone that stated, "Going to a murder suicide."