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Sutter Health Fires Santa Barbara Clinic Staff Over Viral TikTok Mocking Patients

Calling the conduct an 'outright violation,' the health system says it is reinforcing policies after images from Pesetas Urgent Care spread widely online.

Overview

  • The since-deleted TikTok, posted by a former employee using the handle @angieuncut, showed staff posing with exam paper stained by what appeared to be bodily fluids with captions such as “Guess the substance.”
  • Sutter Health said those shown were placed on administrative leave within 24 hours of learning of the post and terminated within the following 24 hours.
  • The incident occurred at Pesetas Urgent Care in Santa Barbara, a Sansum Clinic facility within the Sutter Health system.
  • Screenshots and screen recordings continue to circulate on TikTok, X, Reddit and other platforms, drawing widespread criticism and negative online reviews.
  • An internal investigation is ongoing, and patients were directed to Sutter’s patient advocacy team or to file complaints with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights if they believe their privacy or dignity was violated.