consult
X

Request a Free Consultation

Please fill out the form below and we will be in touch soon.

  • MM slash DD slash YYYY

Blog Home

FL Facility Offers Stakeholders Early Vaccine: Illegal or Just Unfair?
Posted By:

FL Facility Offers Stakeholders Early Vaccine: Illegal or Just Unfair?

 

Many people are waiting patiently for their turn to get the new COVID-19 vaccines and following CDC distribution guidelines. Yet it appears that some people aren’t having to wait as long as others purely due to their wealth and influence.

 

In Florida, an upscale assisted living facility is in hot water for seeming to provide COVID-19 vaccinations for wealthy donors ahead of residents and staff.

 

The CEO is accused of inviting donors personally to get COVID-19 vaccinations that were given to the facility to inoculate its residents and staff. Members of his board and even his country club got personal invites and for it, there is some debate on whether his company should face criminal charges.

 

While CDC guidelines are not laws, there are some legislators, such as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who are considering criminal charges against those that deviate from the guidelines to provide vaccines to their stakeholders.

 

Which Florida laws could apply in these situations and what else could it mean for these types of facilities? Read on to find out.

 

What the CDC Guidelines Say

 

It’s not news that the vaccine available to Americans at the start of this massive vaccination program is limited. That’s why the CDC provided guidelines to states to help them determine who should be vaccinated first.

 

The Goal of CDC’s Vaccine Distribution Guidelines

 

These recommendations come from a team of medical and public health experts to help reduce the rate of serious disease and death, reduce the burden of COVID on those already facing disparities such as the elderly, and to preserve the functioning of society as a whole.

 

Healthcare Personnel and Long-Term Patients First

 

The CDC acknowledges that each state will create its own plan for who is to be vaccinated first and in Florida, the governor decided that the elderly should be first in line. However, the CDC does recommend that healthcare personnel as well as long-term care facility residents be given the first COVID-19 vaccination dosages.

 

Essential Workers, Elderly, and High-Risk Populations Next

 

After healthcare personnel and long-term care facility residents, the next groups the CDC recommends getting the vaccine include frontline essential workers, those over age 75, and then those with underlying medical conditions.

 

The CDC does not mention wealthy donors to medical companies or friends at your local country club anywhere in their recommendations.

 

Will There Be Consequences for Skirting CDC Guidelines?

 

COVID-19 Vaccines Florida

 

For the CEO of the Florida assisted living facility, there could potentially be some legal repercussions to the actions that were taken.

 

Florida Facility License Revocation

 

The first is a revocation of their license by the Agency for Health Care Administration in Florida. Assisted living facilities in the state provide licenses that allow their operation. The three licenses that every assisted living facility needs to operate legally in Florida are a Standard license, Limited Nursing Services, and Extended Congregate Care.

 

The Standard license is the base licensure all facilities are required to have. If there is a complaint filed against them and it is investigated and found out to be true, then they could have their license revoked.

 

Losing the License to Practice Medicine in Florida

 

On top of that, Florida statutes also require individual medical practitioners to follow certain rules of conduct. If they are found to violate one, then they risk losing their license to practice medicine. Some examples of actions that can result in disciplinary actions include:

 

  • Attempting to renew or obtain a license through misrepresentation or bribery
  • Making deceptive, fraudulent, or misleading representations in or related to how their profession is practiced
  • Failing to perform legal obligations placed on them by the licensee
  • Intentionally violating rules adopted by their professional board or the bodies that regulate them

Criminal Charges for Falsification of Patient Records

 

Criminal charges are another possibility for those who do not distribute their allotted vaccines to the intended recipients if any records were falsified in the process of skirting the CDC guidelines.

 

This is a serious offense in Florida since sometimes medical professionals will attempt to cover acts they know aren’t right or are negligent by altering the patient record to reflect something different than what actually happened.

 

This may not be the case with the Florida assisted living facility that gave its COVID vaccines to those other than they were intended for, but it is one possible scenario that would open them up to criminal liability.

 

COVID-19 Medical Malpractice

 

People want the COVID vaccine, as evidenced by the long lines all around Florida to get it. However, should wealth and privilege allow some to skip ahead of those in line who may be at higher risk?

 

That’s not something the law has entirely worked out at this point, but it shouldn’t be counted out as something that could potentially result in criminal charges or the loss of licensure for any Florida medical facility or professional involved.

 

 

About the Author:

Andrew Winston is a partner at the personal injury law firm of Winston Law. For over 20 years, he has successfully represented countless people in all kinds of personal injury cases, with a particular focus on child injury, legal malpractice, and premises liability. He has been recognized for excellence in the representation of injured clients by admission to the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and named one of America’s Top 100 High-Stakes Litigators. Mr. Winston is AV Preeminent Rated by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, enjoys a 10.0 rating by AVVO as a Top Personal Injury Attorney, has been selected as a Florida “SuperLawyer” from 2011-2020 – an honor reserved for the top 5% of lawyers in the state – was voted to Florida Trend’s ”Legal Elite,” recognized by Expertise as one of the 20 Best Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorneys, named one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the Miami area for 2015-2017, and one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Florida for 2015-2017 and 2019.

 

Categories
AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

SUPER LAWYERS 10 YEARS

TOP RATED PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER IN DAVIE FL
2011-2023

Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

SUPER LAWYERS FLORIDA TOP 100

FLORIDA TOP 100 LAWYERS
2015-2017, 2019-2023

Super Lawyers magazine features the list and profiles of selected attorneys and is distributed to attorneys in the state or region and the ABA-approved law school libraries.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

SUPER LAWYERS MIAMI TOP 100

MIAMI TOP 100 LAWYERS
2015-2017, 2019-2023

Super Lawyers magazine features the list and profiles of selected attorneys and is distributed to attorneys in the state or region and the ABA-approved law school libraries.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

FLORIDA TREND’S

FLORIDA LEGAL ELITE
2011-2023

Now in its 13th year, Florida Legal Elite presents a prestigious roster of attorneys chosen for recognition by their peers.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

MILLION DOLLAR ADVOCATES FORUM
LIFETIME MEMBER

THE TOP TRIAL LAWYERS IN AMERICA ®

ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS GROUPS OF TRIAL LAWYERS IN THE UNITED STATES. MEMBERSHIP IS LIMITED TO ATTORNEYS WHO HAVE WON MILLION AND MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR VERDICTS AND SETTLEMENTS.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

EXPERTISE BEST CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS 2023

BEST CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS IN FORT LAUDERDALE
2016-2023

Our goal is to be a hub where qualified experts can connect with people to share their knowledge, experience, and skills.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

EXPERTISE BEST PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS IN FORT LAUDERDALE 2023

BEST PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS IN FORT LAUDERDALE
2016-2023

Our goal is to be a hub where qualified experts can connect with people to share their knowledge, experience, and skills.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

MARTINDALE-HUBBELL AV PREEMINENT

AV PREEMINENT
2016-2023

For more than 130 years, Martindale-Hubbell has been evaluating attorneys for their strong legal ability and high ethical standards through a Peer Review Rating system. Prior to the 1887 edition of Martindale’s American Law Directory, which was the first publication to provide such ratings to attorneys, there was no way of truly knowing if the lawyer you were considering to do business with was trustworthy, ethical, or skilled in the legal field.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

AMERICAS TOP 100 HIGH STAKES LITIGATORS 2022

2018-2023

Selection to America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators® is by invitation only and is comprised of the nation’s most exceptional trial lawyers for high stakes legal matters. For initial consideration, an attorney must have successfully litigated (for either plaintiff or defendant) a matter (1) with at least $2,000,000 in alleged damages at stake or (2) with the fate of a business worth at least $2,000,000 at stake (i.e. bet-the-company litigation valued in excess of $2,000,000).

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

LAWYERS OF DISTINCTION

LAWYERS OF
DISTINCTION

Lawyers of Distinction members have been selected based upon a review and vetting process from our Selection Committee. After a thorough review of credentials, attorneys are nominated by our Selection Committee. Lawyers do not pay for this nomination. These potential candidates who meet the criteria of our screening process have demonstrated a high degree of peer recognition and professional competence

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

AVVO

TOP ATTORNEY PERSONAL INJURY
10.00
SUPERB

Avvo was founded in Seattle, Washington by tech-savvy lawyer Mark Britton to make legal easier and help people find a lawyer.

AWARDS & MEMBERSHIPS

LEAD COUNSEL

LEAD COUNSEL
RATED

Since 1997, the Lead Counsel Rating has been available for free to attorneys who have demonstrated the following three requirements:

Professional Experience
Peer Recommendations
Spotless Record

REVIEWS

LEAVE US A REVIEW

CASE RESULTS

See More Results