A Tennessee nursing home has agreed to pay $90,000 to settle charges that it violated federal law in firing an HIV-positive staff member, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Friday.
Christian Care Center in Johnson City allegedly fired a licensed practical nurse who had been on staff for longer than a month, solely because the employee has human immunodeficiency virus, according to the EEOC’s charges. This would be considered a form of disability discrimination and violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The EEOC said it filed a civil action against the nursing home after efforts to settle out of court. Under the settlement, Christian Care Center will pay the monetary relief, provide employee training on the ADA and periodically report to the employment commission.
The facility maintains that it did not violate any regulations, and it did not admit any wrongdoing by entering into the settlement.
The nursing home is “fiercely committed” to residents’ “health and safety,” and “nothing in the Consent Decree changes that or says we did not uphold this ideal,” according to a statement issued by the facility.
Christian Care Center is an 84-bed, for-profit skilled nursing facility, according to the Nursing Home Compare website.
