Former Westmoreland Hospital workers accused of sharing inappropriate images of patients

By Mike Valente

Click here for updates on this story

    GREENSBURG, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — Two now-former workers at Westmoreland Hospital are facing charges, accused of taking inappropriate photos and videos of elderly patients.

Greensburg police say the photos were taken without patients’ permission and then later shared in a group text with two other workers.

Court documents show that Peter Castellano, 36, of Pittsburgh, and Melissa Tompkins, 36, of Baldwin, are facing charges that include invasion of privacy and criminal use of a communication facility.

A search of Pennsylvania’s judicial database did not show any charges for the two other workers.

“She’s disappointed,” said Casey White, an attorney who is defending Tompkins. “But she’s looking forward to, in some sense, clearing her name.”

When Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 caught up with White Tuesday evening, he said his client planned to turn herself in to police within the next 24 hours. An attorney for Castellano said his client planned to do the same.

White said his client was “adamant” that she did not take any pictures herself.

Criminal complaints for Tompkins and Castellano alleged that pictures and videos of “elderly patients with varying degrees of nudity” were sent from both of the defendants’ phones.

Tompkins told a Greensburg City Police detective that a co-worker took her phone to take a “selfie,” according to the complaint.

When the detective confronted Tompkins with a picture from her phone depicting an elderly man with his genitals exposed, the complaint said Tompkins responded, “It looks bad, and it looks like I sent it.”

White argued that there is no “obvious evidence” that Tompkins took the pictures herself.

“Her co-worker was involved in horse play and unfortunately that horse play caused [Tompkins] to be criminally charged,” White said.

Below is a joint statement from Brian Fritz, president of Westmoreland, Latrobe and Frick hospitals; Dr. Carol Fox, chief medical officer of Independence Health System; and Ken DeFurio, president and CEO of Independence Health System.

“Independence Health System was shocked and outraged to discover egregious actions involving four of its Westmoreland Hospital employees — actions that contradicted our core values and standards of conduct.

“We are grateful to the team member who reported this conduct, enabling us to act swiftly. Upon learning of the situation, our leadership initiated a thorough investigation and involved law enforcement immediately.

“The employees in question were terminated without delay.

“With over 7,000 employees, Independence Health System remains committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in healthcare. This commitment is the foundation of our culture, and we will continue to prioritize integrity and accountability in all we do.”

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.