Whatcom nursing assistant suspected of taking residents’ medications from care facility

A certified nursing assistant working at Brookdale Fairhaven assisted living facility in Bellingham was charged with unprofessional conduct after she allegedly took medication from residents at the facility.

Amanda Kate Lyons was charged by the Washington State Department of Health’s Nursing Assistant Program and failed to respond to a request for an explanation of her actions, according to a state news release.

Brookdale Fairhaven, which is located on Old Fairhaven Parkway, is operated by Brookdale Senior Living, which has more than 675 senior living communities in 41 states, including 31 locations in Washington state, according to its website.

“Brookdale does not tolerate inappropriate behavior by anyone working in our communities,” Brookdale Senior Living spokesperson Taylor Ellis told The Bellingham Herald in an emailed statement.

Lyons was issued her credential to practice as a certified nursing assistant on June 21, 2013, and was hired to work at Brookdale on Sept. 20, 2013, according to the state’s statement of charges filed June 1.

On Sept. 9, 2021, the Department of Health received a complaint that Lyons had taken medication belonging to Brookdale Fairhaven residents, according to the statement, and on Nov. 5, 2021, a Department of Health investigator mailed a letter to Lyons asking her to respond to the complaint allegations. She reportedly failed to do so, and she was therefore found to have committed an unprofessional conduct violation.

Though the complaint was filed with the state in September, Ellis said Lyons had not worked at Brookdale Fairhaven since April of 2021.

“After learning of the allegations, Brookdale launched an investigation and reported the incident to the appropriate state agencies,” Ellis’ statement read. “Residential Care Services investigated the incident as well. Brookdale received no citations following that investigation.”

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