Members of the board of directors for Valley View Villa were shocked to learn in the fall of 2016 that the administrator of the Riverton, Pictou County nursing home could be responsible for stealing in excess of $27,000 from the facility over a three-year period, says chair of the board Bonnie Allan.
Cpl. Ron Bryce of the Pictou County RCMP confirmed this week that following a lengthy investigation police have charged 47-year-old Emily MacEachern for stealing money from the long-term care facility in Riverton, Pictou County.
Police believe the alleged thefts took place between 2013 and 2016 and the investigation indicates that MacEachern stole more than $27,000.
MacEachern, who had the top position of administrator of the facility, is scheduled to appear in provincial court in Pictou on March 5.
Allan, who chairs the volunteer board for the Municipality of Pictou County-owned nursing home said they were first made aware of discrepancies in the fall of 2016 when the board brought in an expert to look over their accounts after experiencing some financial difficulties.
“It got to a point where we turned it over to the RCMP,” she said.
MacEachern was immediately fired at that point. She had been a long time employee of the Villa first working as an RN and then assistant director of care before being promoted internally to the top position of administrator, Allan said.
After MacEachern was dismissed the board took steps to fill her position and minimize the impact on residents of the home.
“The number one concern on our part is the care of our residents,” Allan said. “We wanted to make sure they were well looked after. They’re our priority.”
Since the discrepancies have come to light, Allan said the board has taken steps to ensure greater accountability of the nursing home.
“We have gone outside the staff of nursing home to find help, support and advice,” she said. “We’re all volunteers on that board. We all bring what we have for experiences and expertise to the board. At the same time we’re not accountants and financial advisors.”
If they hadn’t brought in someone to address the situation, she said they wouldn’t have known about the problem.
“We’ve been working every since to address the situation at the home.”
Municipality of Pictou County Warden Robert Parker said county council was made aware of the allegations several months ago and called it disappointing.
“It’s not just what you lost,” he said. “It’s just the fact that someone was in your trust and let you down.”
He said the municipality has set up an audit committee to help protect against such losses in the future.
In the fall of 2017, employees at Valley View Villa were informed there would be restructuring to deal with a $1.5 million deficit.
“While (this alleged theft) certainly had its effect on the shortages there, it’s certainly not the sole cause of the shortages,” Parker said.
