Healthcare Employees Fired for Sharing Photographs of Sedated Patients on Social Media
Four staff members of Baptist Health’s Jay Hospital in Florida were dismissed from work for allegedly taking unauthorized pictures of patients and posting them on Snapchat. The privacy violations apparently first took place in February 2025. However, it seems that the issue has been happening for a longer period since one patient claims having their pictures taken in August. Allegedly, the staff members went into patients’ rooms late in the evening and took pictures of patients while they were asleep or given medicines, sometimes in a semi-naked or naked state, without the patients’ awareness or permission.
Three patients who were recently informed about the privacy violations by the hospital contacted personal injury lawyer Joe Zarzaur. One patient received the privacy violation notification while still admitted at Jay Hospital. Another patient received a breach notification when they went to an outpatient rehab center. It is not explained why it took the hospital a long time to notify the affected patients or to determine the number of patients affected. As per Zazaur, the notification sent to patients mentioned the “unflattering” and “horrible” photographs. There was no mention of the number of photographs taken or the exact images shown. The patients were not permitted to look at any of the pictures.
Three affected patients stated that they were approached with an offer concerning the privacy violations. They were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement in exchange for an undisclosed amount of money. The three patients rejected the offer and decided to file a lawsuit over the privacy violations. They filed lawsuits in the Florida state court on October 10, 2025, claiming the hospital was negligent because it did not implement the proper guidelines, procedures, and safety measures to secure patient privacy.
According to Jay Hospital’s spokesperson, upon knowing about the allegation, they promptly executed a preliminary investigation and informed the proper authorities and the patients. After the investigation, the people concerned were fired. Jay Hospital is committed to safeguarding the privacy and safety of patients. Because this matter entails patient privacy and is still under investigation, no other details can be shared at this time.
The disclosure of protected health information (PHI) for reasons not related to health treatment, bills, or hospital procedures is not allowed by the HIPAA Privacy Rule, except if permission is given by the subject of the PHI. Photos of patients are classified as PHI, and the staff members undoubtedly violated HIPAA, including ethical and professional requirements. This is definitely not the only instance where staff members took compromising photos of patients and published the pictures on social media sites.
Back in 2015, ProPublica’s investigation found several cases of nursing home residents suffering abuses, such as having their degrading pictures and videos taken and posted on social media. ProPublica discovered 35 cases of embarrassing and degrading pictures and videos being taken of nude and semi-nude patients, which were shown on Snapchat and other social media platforms. The report and complaints prompted the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to send a memorandum reminding state health departments about facility and state agency obligations and the legal rights of residents to not be abused, which includes mental abuse.
In 2016, Sharp Grossmont Hospital issued an apology in connection with the disclosure of unauthorized operating room videos. In 2017, a scrub nurse was terminated for sharing photos of a patient’s genitals. In 2018, some New York nursing home workers were fired for sharing pictures and videos of abused or mistreated residents. Most recently, an ex-worker of the Northwell Health Sleep Disorders Center was found to have set up hidden cameras in the bathrooms.
The prevalent practice of taking photos or videos of patients without their awareness or permission signifies that many healthcare personnel are not aware that they are violating the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Employees found to have done such actions will be terminated, and could lose their license or even face criminal charges.