The UCLA Medical Centre has been under scrutiny because of confidential details of celebrity treatment being leaked to the media, most notably the medical details of Britney Spears’ breakdown (her psychiatric records were supposedly closed to generally employee access) and Farrah Fawcett’s cancer treatment. Now it seems that at least one employee, Lawanda Jackson, is going to face criminal charges about the incident.

The indictment refers to an unidentified national media outlet, but a source familiar with the matter confirmed that the paper was the National Enquirer.

According to the indictment, Jackson received at least $4,600 from the publication through checks made out to her husband. The agreement lasted from about 2006 until at least May 21, 2007, according to the indictment.

Jackson faces up to 10 years in prison if she is convicted of the charge. Such charges involving the disclosure of medical records are rare.

LA Times

While anyone in the public eye gives up a certain amount of their privacy, it is absolutely wrong to violate someone’s medical records, particularly for the paltry sum of $4,600.

We reported in March that 13 UCLA staff members had been fired, a further six were suspended, and another six doctors had been disciplined for looking at Britney Spears’ files. This was not the first time staff had snooped at records, they looked at Britney’s medical files (psychiatric files are closed to all other areas of the hospital) when she was hospitalized in January for a breakdown, and also when she gave birth to her first son Sean Preston in 2005.

The hospital tried to claim that it was an interest in a ‘particular person’ referring to Britney, but since then it has also been revealed that Farrah Fawcett’s files were looked at, the information sold to the National Enquirer, and this is the case in question today. Lawanda Jackson is the first employee to be charged with leaking information to the media, despite the hospital’s previous statement there was ‘no evidence to suggest that any employee leaked information or sold it’.

The hospital has a PIN number system that shows who is looking at medical records, but doesn’t have a system in place to stop people from looking at the records. While it would be great to be able to trust all of the hospital’s employees, someone like Lawanda Jackson might just sell the information if they need the money badly enough. The LA Times reports she was $37,300 in debt in 2001, when she filed for bankruptcy.

UCLA should make all medical records private, not just a celebrity patient’s information. If you were undergoing an acrimonious divorce, or were involved in a car accident, or any kind of incident that might get you attention from the media, you would not want your personal history up for sale to the highest bidder either.

Photos are of Britney’s breakdown in early January, thanks to Splash.