Disturbing video shows healthcare provider slapping disabled man

A hidden camera captured the horrific moment a ventilator-dependent paralyzed man is assaulted inside his bed by a former registered nurse.
Dorothea Harvilik has been indicted for allegedly slapping and manhandling the 26-year-old disabled man in New Jersey.
The 64-year-old woman who is from Saddle River faces up to 18 months in state prison if she is convicted of the fourth-degree assault charge.
Officials say the patient's mother had suspected that her son was being mistreated after she noticed scratches on his hands so she set up a hidden camera inside his room.
The disturbing video begins by showing the a pillow being placed apparently roughly under the patient's head before the woman appears to slap the patient.
The patient's mother showed the video to the nurse's employer, a Teaneck home healthcare agency, and they immediately fired the nurse.
The agency then notified the state Division of Consumer Affairs and the board opened an investigation.The alleged abuse happened sometime before November, and the State Board of Nursing permanently revoked Harvilik's license shortly after.
Harvilik did not admit liability in the case. She is barred from applying for reinstatement.
'The horrifying images of Nurse Harvilik striking this defenseless patient and wrenching his head as she tended to him, underscored our need to ensure that all New Jersey families, regardless of their income, have access to state-of-the art technology they need to watch over their loved ones,' New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino said in a statement.
'As this indictment shows, hidden cameras not only expose patient abuse, they can provide the 'smoking-gun' evidence that helps bring abusers to justice.'
The video was first released in December 2016 when the state announced the 'Safe Care Cam' program that allows residents to use free, micro surveillance cameras for 30 days if they suspect someone is being abused by a caregiver.
Anyone who suspects a loved one is being abused by an in-home caregiver should not be left to feel helpless or without recourse,' Porrino said in discussing the program.
'Cameras don't lie, and the abuses they've revealed are shocking. But a quality micro-surveillance camera is expensive and many people simply can't afford them.
'So we're offering the use of these cameras free of charge to those who wish to confirm that their loved ones are safe and well cared for in their absence.
'We hope that the Safe Care Cam program will provide peace of mind for family members, while at the same time serving as a strong deterrent and reminder to unscrupulous care providers that we will prosecute their cases aggressively.'
Patients who believe that they have been treated by a licensed health care professional in an inappropriate manner can file an online complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846.