Whatever Happened to Gracedale's Exorcist? Did Gracedale Drop the Ball?

Like most nursing homes across the country, Northampton County's Gracedale has had a problem attracting and keeping nurses since the onset of COVID.  It has attempted to fill the void by bringing in nursing care from outside agencies. These nurses are paid far more than actual employees, which does nothing to help staff morale. Plus, I wonder how many of them are committed to anything more than a high paycheck. Earlier this year, I told you about one of these agency nurses, an LPN who decided she needed to perform an exorcism on one of the nursing home's residents.  What has happened to her? Let me tell you.  

On June 23, Octavia Lasha Robinson, age 43, was an agency LPN working at Gracedale. She came in from Morristown, NJ, a one-hour trip. According to Upper Nazareth Tp police officer Zach Dugan , she was charged that day with the abuse of a care-dependent person (i.e. resident) at Gracedale by striking, shoving, kicking and threatening her.  Robinson was also charged with simple assault and harassment.  When the officer entered the resident's room, he personally witnessed the Robinson shoving her fingers in the victim's mouth, saying the demons needed to come out. He also saw blood on the assaulted resident's chest and bedding. He placed Robinson in custody and took her to Lehigh Valley Hospital for an involuntary emergency health evaluation. 

Court records reveal that she waived her case into criminal court in late July and is scheduled to appear in court on December 2. Through a professional bail bondsman, she has posted $25,000 bail. No attorney has formally entered an appearance on her behalf. 

Was Robinson Licensed to Work in Pa? 

New Jersey's Division of Consumer Affairs lists Robinson as a Licensed Practical Nurse, but her license is listed as a "single state" license. At the time of this assault, which was before Pennsylvania entered into a 40-state nurse licensure compact, it appears that a nurse with a "single state" license could only practice within the geographical boundaries of the state in which she was licensed. It is questionable whether Robinson ever had the proper credentials to work at Gracedale. Robinson's license in New Jersey is suspended pursuant to an interim consent order on October 17.  

Health Department Report Indicates That a Resident, Not Gracedale, Called 911

This matter was also investigated by the state Department of Health, which concluded on June 25 that Gracedale had failed to keep residents free from abuse or neglect.  There were three residents in the room in which the LPN performed what she thought was an exorcism. 

From the state's report:

In a verbal statement dated June 23, 2025, Resident 2 stated that LPN 1 woke her and told her to put on a PPE gown to protect her from the demons. Resident 2 stated that LPN 1 would not allow her to leave the room or go to the bathroom. She then watched LPN 1 hit Resident 1 on the chest and back and shove wash cloths and towels down her throat. Resident 2 called 911 from her personal cell phone at that time.

In a verbal statement dated June 23, 2025, Resident 3 stated that LPN 1 gave her a PPE gown to put on and a wet wash cloth to clean her hands. Resident 3 could see LPN 1 hitting Resident 1 on the chest and back and sticking her fingers into Resident 1's mouth. Resident 3 also stated that LPN 1 sprinkled water on her numerous times.

Resident 1 was transferred to the emergency room (ER) for evaluation and found to have had petechial hemorrhages (tiny spots of bleeding) to the hard palate (roof of the mouth) and periorbital (around the eyes) edema (swelling). Her upper and lower lip were noted to have been swollen and a slit was noted to her lower lip. She was observed having some difficulty closing her mouth. Nursing documentation dated June 24, 2025, at 12:00 a.m., upon the resident's return from the ER, noted that Resident 1 stated, "I was so scared. I thought I was going to die."

In an interview on June 25, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., Resident 3 stated that the incident was horrific and that she had been scared.

According to the state's report, it was actually a resident, and not a staff member, who initially called 911. 

What about the staff? 

In a written statement dated June 23, 2025, Nurse Aide (NA) 2 stated that LPN 1 entered Resident 1's room (A3, Tower 7) at approximately 1:00 a.m. to provide care to Resident 1 while NA 2 was attending to other residents in the room. LPN 1 remained in the room after NA 2 left. NA 2 also stated that around 2:45 a.m., the call bell to the room was activated and when she went to respond, LPN 1 slammed the door in her face and told her to get out. There was no evidence that NA 2 reported the incident or that staff intervened until approximately 15 minutes later when a call was received from the 911 call center.

Apparently, 911 called Gracedale in response to the roommate's complaint. It was only then that three registered nurses intervened. So this unbalanced LPN was allowed to remain alone, with no supervision, for two hours without anyone taking notice. 

How does Gracedale plan to address this matter? 

By 7/18/25, Director of Nursing or designee will train and implement a new "Rounding Sheet" to verify that nursing supervisors are physically visiting each floor and speaking with staff during the shift to identify any potential concerns in resident care / treatment. The form is to be signed by both the nursing supervisor and the charge nurse. They will note any concerns for follow up on the floor. The QAPI Coordinator will monitor / audit this form weekly for 4 weeks, then monthly for compliance and will address any non-compliance with the shift supervisor. Results will be reviewed at monthly QAPI meeting.

By 8/1/25, Staff Development team will retrain staff regarding abuse recognition and prevention, including 1st step of stop the abuse if it is witnessed and ensuring safety of all residents, recognizing potential red flags and removing alleged perpetrator from the premises, including calling police as was done in this instance.

Gracedale's response is in effect a concession that nursing supervisors really dropped the ball. Moreover, the claim that Gracedale called the police is inaccurate. It is a resident who called 911, and 911 actually called Gracedale. 

It's impossible to know when someone just might snap, as obviously happened here. But iGracedale nursing supervisors failed to supervise the staff.  A mentally unbalanced LPN who may not even be licensed in Pa was left alone with three residents for two hours before anyone noticed. Finally, the nurse's aide who had a door slammed in her face should have taken immediate action. I would think that would have clued her in. 

This is one of just six violations noted by the Department of Health during Administrator Michelle Morton's brief tenure. I'll tell you about them on Tuesday.