An Oregon nurse has been placed on administrative leave after posting a video Saturday on Tik Tok saying that she travels, doesn’t wear a mask and lets her children have playdates.
The video, which has since been deleted but has been reposted by other Tik Tok users, shows the nurse wearing her scrubs while audio from The Grinch plays in the background. The caption reads: “When my co workers find out I still travel, don’t wear a mask when I am out and let my kids have play dates.” (RELATED: ‘Uninvite Your Bragging Brother’: Oregon Governor Who Cheered BLM Protests Tells Citizens To Uninvite Family For Thanksgiving)
Tik Tok user Amanda Butcher reposted the video, which now has over 282,700 likes and over 7,000 comments on the popular video-sharing app.
“Imagine being an oncology nurse during a pandemic and bragging about not taking precautions,” Butcher said.
@amandabutcher2To each their own, but why would you brag about it to others? ????????♀️ I guess we could ask Loveiskind05 #nurse #covid #health #pandemic #fyp #foryou♬ original sound – Amanda Butcher
A representative for Salem Health confirmed to the Daily Caller that the nurse’s name is Ashley Grames and that she works in their oncology department.
“Yesterday, a nurse employed with Salem Health posted a video on social media which displayed cavalier disregard for the seriousness of this pandemic and her indifference towards physical distancing and masking outside of work,” Salem Health said Sunday in a statement. “This video has prompted an outcry from concerned community members. We want to thank those of you who brought this to our attention and assure you that we are taking this very seriously.”
“This individual does not speak for Salem Health and has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation,” the statement said.
Over 1,300 people have commented on the Facebook post.
“This statement is great and all but it gives zero answers. And the people involved in this aren’t just going to forget and let this go,” one person wrote. “Any action other than firing her shows that you really don’t care about your patients or your remaining and I’m sure competent, staff.”
“No investigation needed,” another comment reads. “The video supplied should be evidence enough. She needs to be FIRED. Not on PAID leave. As someone fighting cancer, I can only imagine how her patients feel after seeing this news.”
“The safety of our patients is always our top priority, and we want the community to have confidence in their local hospital,” Michael Gay, a representative for Salem Health, told the Daily Caller in a statement. “It is disturbing that the careless comments of one person would undermine the passionate and sacrificial work of so many caregivers who show up every day to provide safe and high quality care for our community. Our hope is that the safe, professional care provided every day by the rest of our staff would speak for itself beyond this one individual.”
“We’ve been preparing and responding to the COVID pandemic since late 2019,” Gay continued. “Infectious disease experts have guided our decisions at every step, with the goal of protecting patients and staff to every extent possible. We have strict masking, social distancing, screening and infectious disease protocols in place at the hospital, and in many cases these protocols are more strict [than] those recommended by guiding agencies like OHA and CDC.”
“These policies are strictly enforced among staff from the moment they leave their cars at work to the moment they start driving home,” he added. “Our caregivers are passionate people, with a high level of pride in the work they do and in the safety of their patients and their community.”
The video comes as Oregon struggles to control a rise in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. In mid-November, the state saw a 33.3% increase in coronavirus-related deaths and a 24.2% increase in hospitalizations, according to the Washington Post’s coronavirus tracker. Since February, Oregon has had 74,120 coronavirus cases and 905 deaths, the Post reported.