A now former employee at Baton Rouge, La.-based Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System was arrested after allegedly forging the health system CEO’s signature, according to a news release from the Louisiana Office of the Attorney General.
Rachel Willis, 48, was employed as a patient access representative at Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center in Lafayette, La., when she allegedly submitted a forged letter in an attempt to secure funds from a federal grant program.
Investigators say Ms. Willis took the CEO’s signature from internal records and placed it on the letter without approval. It was regarding the Health Care Employment Reinvestment Opportunity (HERO) Fund, a grant program administered by the Louisiana Department of Health to support education and training programs.
The letter committed the hospital to provide $250,010.40 in matching funds to support a HERO grant application, submitted on behalf of the hospital and a local college. Officials discovered the forged letter before any money was disbursed, though the grant had already received preliminary approval for nearly $600,000, according to the attorney general’s office.
“FMOL Health is aware of an attempt by a now former employee to illegally access funds dedicated to the HERO fund,” a health system spokesperson said in a statement shared with Becker’s on Oct. 15.
“The discrepancy was originally discovered thanks in part to the vigilance of leaders at Our Lady of Lourdes and immediately turned over to the appropriate authorities,” the spokesperson said. “We extend our gratitude to our law enforcement partners for their quick work in resolving this issue.”
Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents arrested Ms. Willis on Oct. 13 on a forgery charge. The investigation is ongoing, according to the attorney general’s office.
