The sister of a nursing home patient is suing a Georgia hospital, physician and ambulance service amid claims that her brother was discharged and sent to a nursing home 300 miles away.
Johnny Lee Bryant was admitted to Doctors Hospital in Augusta, GA, in early January 2015 from The Place, a nearby long-term care facility. He was treated at the hospital for sepsis and pneumonia until Jan. 15, 2015, when he was discharged.
Instead of returning to The Place, Bryant was transported by Gold Cross EMS to a nursing home in Bainbridge, GA — a city nearly 300 miles away. Once there, the nursing home refused to admit Bryant, the Augusta Chronicle reported.
Bryant was eventually taken back to August and admitted to a different hospital, where he died in February 2015.
The lawsuit, filed by Bryant’s sister on Jan. 17, accuses the hospital, the ambulance company and Hetal Thakore, M.D., of negligence, wrongful death and causing emotional distress.
McKnight’s request for comment from Doctors Hospital was not returned by press time Friday.
