In Aesop's Fables, the little boy who cried "Wolf, Wolf!" only succeeded in fooling villagers twice before they stopped believing him. At Gracedale, resident Tanya Hatch has cried "Wolf!" at least 275 times over an 18-month period. Her incessant 911 calls, which now have come close to 300, has landed her in hot water with Upper Nazareth Tp police. She's been charged with an assortment of misdemeanors and felonies over her penchant for calling 911 to complain of nonexistent medical emergencies as well as an attempt to falsely incriminate a nursing aide.
Hatch is just 29 years old. This strikes me as an unusually young age for someone living in a nursing home. At one time, that may have been true. These days, around 20% of nursing home residents are under age 65.
She's been charged in two separate complaints, filed February 18 and February 21, which you can review yourself below.
In the Complaint filed February 18 by Officer Cory Fluck, Hatch is charged with false alarms to public safety agencies (a first-degree misdemeanor) and misuse of 911 (a second-degree misdemeanor). She had placed 275 calls to the 911 emergency number for nonexistent medical emergencies between July 23, 2024 and January 6, 2026. After being told to stop crying "Wolf!", she placed 22 more calls to 911.
In addition, she's been charged with making a false report with the intention of implicating another (a second-degree misdemeanor). According to an affidavit of probable cause filed by Officer Fluck, a nursing assistant watched her lay on the floor and prop her head up on a tub to make it look as though she had fallen and hit her head. When confronted, Hatch accused the nursing assistant of recording her in her private room.
A second Complaint filed February 21 by Officer Zach Dugan charged her with a third-degree felony for two more false alarms within a 20-minute span despite previous warnings and criminal charges.
First degree misdemeanors carry a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment. Second-degree misdemeanors carry a maximum sentence of two years in jail. A third-degree felony is punishable by up to seven years in jail.
Can a nursing home resident who engages in criminal behavior be evicted? If it's a Medicare and Medicaid nursing home like Gracedale, the answer is generally No. A resident can be evicted "if their welfare, or that of other residents, is endangered by their continued presence, such as when behavior poses a threat to safety or health. Discharge is also permissible if the resident’s needs cannot be met by the facility, meaning the required care exceeds what the nursing home provides. Finally, a nursing home can discharge residents if the facility ceases to operate."
21 comments:
Another example of a botched admission to Gracedale. She’s taking away from staff’s time for other residents and is creating a nightmare for 911 and those services. Telling her “not to do it” apparently hasn’t worked and apparently won’t work with her. Good luck on this one.
Thought in PA , the magisterial court handles eviction from county owned, public , or private housing.
Why wasn’t she evicted soon after her court notice and eviction judgement by the sheriff or constables responsible for enforcement? What took so long and where was the Gracedale administration ?
Well first it's sounds like this person has a mental health problem. And should be handled it such away. If this home isn't equipped to had people with this type of issues move her out. You say it in your own story.
But wait it is a guaranteed check every month because the state pays for her to be there????
Which one is it???
I believe I've explained that it's very difficult to evict as problem resident if you accept Medicare and Medicaid, even one who commits a crime.
Clearly, she is mentally ill and belongs in a state hospital, but most of them have been closed.
so this is another reason why the home is at 1 star. They need to throw this individual out on the street and not look back.
Wernersville State Hospital serves Northampton county.
430 pounds...maybe the emergencies were being out of cheeseburgers and fries.
Inquiring minds would like to know why you’re going after a nursing home resident in a Political blog post. It’s an odd look, as are all the nursing home articles here.
I'm not going after the resident, who is obviously mentally ill. I try to clue people in about what is happening at Gracedale. This incident demonstrates that some residents make things very difficult for the staff and, in this instance, are a burden on first responders. It raises the question whether we should be admitting a 430 lb young woman with mental health issues. Would she do better in another environment? It also raises the question of what steps a nursing home can take when a resident commits a crime.
I have relatives who worked at nursing homes. It’s demanding and difficult, sometimes like dealing with children except some of them are bigger and stronger than the staff.
Others are sad cases who get no visitors. Then there are the families who expect constant care and vigilance, and complain constantly, while the staff is spread thin or dealing with problem cases.
Jeff Ward, Bethlehem
I have to agree , I think it’s in poor taste to put this woman’s name out. I know it’s public record , but it just seems like we could have gotten the story without naming her. I also agree that she should not be at Gracedale. Seems like the whole system failed
Great joke , Really intelligent
As I said, botched admission. She is apparently not appropriate for Gracedale and never was. Another fill the bed admission from Lamont.
Now write the story about how most of the calls to the Department of Health are from Gracedale employees or from spiteful retirees, and that the vast majority are unfounded.
It’s information in the public domain, so it’s not protected. And you as a citizen of the United States have the freedom of speech to post it, but I just question the wisdom of posting this. It’s obvious the patient likely has mental issues. Why draw attention to it? I pray that you do not become impaired as you age and do silly things in a healthcare facility when you have little or no impulse control. Why would anyone want to send their loved one to a facility in which a connected political commentator may in fact post damaging information about your loved one?
As I have previously noted in my analysis of the 14 county-owned nursing homes, they ALL are subject to unfounded complaints that in most cases exceeds the number of complaints leading to deficiencies. Gracedale is by no means unique in that regard. And I am appreciative that the DOH investigates all complaints, not merely those rare instances in which an administrator must self-report. I'd rather see an unfounded claim than see real deficiencies go uncorrected bc nobody followed up on a complaint.
Wow that’s a nasty swipe at hard working employees and former hard working employees who are now retirees. Denial of issues is now why Gracedale is in its present troublesome situation.
That certainly is a factor and I have heard Wandalowski complain several times about unfounded complaints. As a human services worker, she of all people should know that it is important to investigate complaints about deficiencies, even if they turn out to be unfounded. I Would she rather see someone die because DOH blew off a complaint? It's actually pretty outrageous that Kelly Keegan was singing that song as well. The comment at 9:59 is definitely an attack on Gracedale workers, residents and retirees.
I cannot imagine you are adult and respond that way. No matter what this person is doing they are obviously mentally ill , what is your excuse?
So could this be part of the reason why 911 didn’t respond right away when residents were calling for help on a previous incident??
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