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San Luis Obispo County facility worker charged with falsifying records

May 20, 2025

Ribbon cutting at San Luis Obispo County Crisis Stabilization Unit in 2018

By KAREN VELIE

A former employee at a San Luis Obispo County mental health facility is facing 10 misdemeanor charges for allegedly altering medical records with fraudulent intent, allegations lodged in a wrongful death lawsuit filed on Sept. 23, 2024.

SLO County outsourced management of the Crisis Stabilization Unit to Sierra Mental Wellness Group, which has refused to discuss the allegations of misconduct. Janet Marie Brown, 40, worked as a psychiatric technician at the crisis unit on May 15, 2024, the night a Paso Robles teenager died at the unit, though it would be hours before anyone noticed.

Staff at the unit was supposed to continually supervise 19-year-old Elina Branco, with monitoring checks required every two hours.

Shortly after 5 p.m. on May 15, 2024, Branco was transferred to the Crisis Stabilization Unit. Even though the policy was to take the patient’s personal items and clothing, Branco was placed in a bed with the clothes on her back. It is suspected she had narcotics on her person and later overdosed.

Staff at the unit documented Branco’s stay, noting on her chart that she went to bed at 9:35 p.m.

At 11:30 p.m. on May 15, 2024, and again at 1:30, 3:30 and 5:30 a.m. on May 16, 2024, the chart logs are identical: “Engaged in therapeutic rest without incident. Breathing is even and unlabored. Will continue to monitor for any changes.”

During shift change at 7:30 a.m., the log entry changes: “The client is lying in bed with eyes closed, breathing evenly and without labored breathing. Relevant information be passed on the day shift for continuity of care.”

However, it appears no one actually checked on Branco who the coroner calculated died between 10 p.m. and midnight on May 15, 2024, an incident exclusively reported by CalCoastNews.

By the time staff actually checked on Branco, between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. on May 16, 2024, they realized she had died and was already in the process of “livor mortis,” according to the lawsuit.

“Not only did defendants Janet Brown, Bethany Aurioles, Bonnie Sayers and Does one through three fail to monitor and check on patients for signs of medical distress, they lied about their welfare checks and falsified Branco’s medical record, a violation of a criminal California Penal Code 471.5,” according to the lawsuit. “Defendants’ failure was a serious dereliction of their duties and the one responsibility they had toward their client: to monitor for signs of distress.”

Following the deaths of several mentally ill patients, including Andrew Holland who died in the county jail, in 2018 the county opened the Crisis Stabilization Unit. The unit was supposed to “allow medical professionals to stabilize up to four community members at a time who are experiencing a serious mental health issue.”

“She would still be alive if not admitted to the Crisis Stabilization Unit,” a unit employee told CalCoastNews shortly after the teen died. “It is so bad, the clients are in danger.”

The unit closed shortly after Branco’s questionable death.

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department investigated the death, leading prosecutors to file 10 charges against Brown over five alleged falsifications of medical records, according to the criminal complaint.

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This hits close to home, since I’m a mother to a mentally ill person who has spent quite a bit of time in MH facilities, including the PUF unit in SLO. While there may be stellar employees and programs from time to time, the system as a whole from top to bottom is a morass of bureaucratic nonsense and barriors to actual treatment with meaningful accountability for patients. And that’s just a brief commentary. The rest is rife with angst and frustration for all involved. Our experiences began when she was 16 and is now 38. There have many tears of rage and hopelessness shed here.


2

These people work for and are paid by us, the tax payers, yet they don’t want to talk? First they lied and didn’t do what we pay them for, now this? Put them all in prison, please. Hopefully myself or my family never has a crisis.


16

If any one out there is hiring any of these defendants, they should be fired immediately. They are incompetent and a danger. And the state licensing boards they work under should be suspending their licenses effective immediately.


15

This entire incident is tragic. I hope charges are filed against all employees on both the overnight shift and the day shift. This is inexcusable. First of all 2 hour checks are absolutely negligent. And to not have her thoroughly checked, and have all her personal clothing removed at intake is beyond negligent. There were only at maximum four patients and at least 2 possibly 3 staff. At that ratio one has to ask, “What were the staff doing all night.” I have been told personally by other people who worked there that most staff on the overnight shift watched movies and were on social media all night. All patients should have been checked every 15 minutes in person not over a monitor. This is all an outrage! I hope Elina Branco’s mother gets the millions of dollars she deserves from all defendants in her lawsuit. But nothing will bring her daughter back. My heart breaks for her. Good job to the District Attorneys Office and Cal Coast News.


14

Hm, well “livor mortis” starts 20-30 min after death and rigor mortis 1-6 hrs. Timeline isn’t adding up either way…


-4

Super sad. Good work, CCN.


28