A Florida girl posed for a social worker. Not a soul caught on right up until she died.



A Florida social worker surrendered her license right after an investigation uncovered her wife pretended to become her and treated patients employing an on-line psychological health platform.

According to a Florida Office of Wellbeing investigative report and on line health Division records, Peggy A. Randolph was a licensed clinical social worker in Ellenton, about twenty miles northeast of Sarasota.

She was also accredited in Tennessee as a social worker, for every on-line information and paperwork filed for the condition’s Board of Social Worker Licensure.

When Randolph was noted, she worked for Brightside Well being, an internet mental health System, involving January 2021 and February 2023. Through that point, she provided providers to a huge selection of purchasers by using video simply call, As outlined by Formal documents.

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Affected individual learned about impersonation immediately after social worker’s wife died
Randolph went on bereavement go away next the Dying of her spouse, Tammy G. Heath-Randolph. That’s when Randolph’s individual noted that she had been treated by Randolph’s unlicensed, deceased spouse as opposed to the social worker herself.

The affected person who noted the situation provided a photograph of herself Talking to Randolph’s wife during a session. When Brightside Health and fitness commenced an investigation and confronted Randolph, the social worker denied the patient were taken care of by her spouse.

Randolph finally admitted it had been her wife seen during the Photograph managing the individual and explained her wife, Heath-Randolph, experienced an “uncontrolled bipolar problem” which will have resulted in her looking at individuals at the rear of the social worker’s back again.

When Brightside Well being started investigating the situation, the business acquired Randolph’s wife was observing people for fairly some time, In accordance with a report filed Along with the Florida Department of Wellness.

“This was a coordinated exertion so Randolph could provide providers to clients in human being while (her wife) provided services over the phone,” the report read.

According to documents submitted in Tennessee, Randolph was compensated for sessions her spouse attended.

"Brightside Wellness conducted an interior investigation and established (Randolph) had shared her log-in credentials with (her wife)," the report reads. Brightside Overall health fired Randolph on Feb. 28, 2023 after which the social worker chose to retire her license.

Brightside Well being Permit law enforcement find out about the problem on April seventeen, 2023.

Randolph couldn't be arrived at for remark but files submitted in Tennessee show that Randolph agreed not to apply to reinstate her license. She also needs to pay out a civil penalty of $1,000.


Mental overall health corporation reimbursed people for impacted treatment
Brightside Well being stated in a statement to USA Right now that Randolph was an impartial contractor within the platform, along with other mental overall health web pages.

The organization stated it will require safety measures to stop predicaments such as these, such as interviews, track record checks and license verification. The corporate also reported it revalidates licenses for all of its Health care professionals.

When Brightside Well being discovered with regards to the statements in opposition to Randolph and her wife, the organization removed her access to the company’s devices and terminated her agreement.

Brightside Health also claimed it:

Reassigned Randolph’s clients to new healthcare experts
Reported the situation to federal authorities
Documented Randolph to professional licensing boards
Done an extensive protection audit
The business also explained it notified the Business office of Civil Rights of a potential HIPAA violation, in addition to contacted people in producing and through cellphone.

The organization said it also issued refunds for likely-linked periods and Allow insurers know.

“The claimed behavior could well be a breach of Randolph’s contractual arrangement with Brightside as well as a violation of her Expert code of ethics,” the company reported from the composed statement.

“We’re particularly unhappy that just one service provider was ready to violate the have confidence in that Brightside and, most importantly, her clients had put in her, as believe in is the muse from the affected individual and supplier marriage in the two telehealth As well as in-individual treatment.”

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