Nurse accuses Miami doctor of purposely infecting her with coronavirus

MIAMI ā€“ Venise Jean-Baptiste said she and her son suffered COVID-19 after a Miami doctor she worked with purposely infected her with the coronavirus.

Jean-Baptiste, an advanced registered nurse practitioner, said the exchange with Dr. Joseph Piperato happened when they ran into each other in the hallway.

They were at the Project Access Foundationā€™s Biscayne Medical office at 8000 Biscayne Blvd., near Miamiā€™s Little River area. The nurse claims Piperato was showing symptoms of COVID-19 and that she demanded personal protective equipment (PPE), also suggesting that he get tested.

ā€œHe said, 'Well, if I have it, now you have it too. Now, leave me alone,ā€™ā€ Jean-Baptist said, adding that she and her son started to show symptoms within days of the alleged incident.

Biscayne Medical is facing a lawsuit from a nurse who alleges that while working there she was not protected from a coronavirus infection. (Local 10 News)

Jean-Baptiste was hospitalized. The experience, she said, was terrifying.

ā€œI called my family and said, ā€˜This is what I want you to do with my son ... just in case if I donā€™t make it, because I donā€™t think Iā€™m going to make it,'" Jean-Baptiste said.

Jean-Baptiste was so outraged that she decided to hire Attorney John Leighton and filed a lawsuit narrating how she claims Piperato infected her. She also accuses the medical office management of negligence during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jean-Baptiste claims her employer denied her access to the personal protective equipment that she needed to stay safe.

ā€œThis is just an example of profits over people, of not wanting to know whether someone is infected because they donā€™t want to shut the clinic," Leighton said about the case.

The Project Access Foundation is a nonprofit organization that advertises a commitment to not denying access to patients who are uninsured. A representative for the organization released a statement on Friday saying the office implemented the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Preventionā€™s guidelines that were in place at the time.

ā€œThe allegations set forth in the complaint are unfounded and will be aggressively defended,ā€ the representative said, adding the preventive measures at the office included symptom checks and the availability of PPE.

Aside from the Project Access Foundation and Piperato, Jean-Baptisteā€™s lawsuit also mentions Larkin Community Hospital, Inc., Jorge Carballo and Dr. Jack J. Michel, the founder of Larkin Health System.


About the Authors:

Christian De La Rosa joined Local 10 News in April 2017 after spending time as a reporter and anchor in Atlanta, San Diego, Orlando and Panama City Beach.

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.