A group of healthcare workers at Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, California, have been fired after a TikTok video showing them apparently mocking bodily fluid stains on exam tables went viral. The since-deleted video, captioned “Guess the substance,” featured employees posing next to stains left by patients, with text such as “Are patients allowed to leave you guys gifts?” and “Make sure to leave your healthcare workers sweet gifts like these!”
The video, shared over the weekend, showed five images of staff members smiling and giving thumbs-up next to what appeared to be discharge on exam tables. One image included the text “yes!” next to a small stain, while another noted the “gifts” come in “all shapes and sizes” and “all shades and opacities.” The final photo depicted a group huddled around a stained table.
Sutter Health, which owns Sansum Clinic, confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that the employees involved had been fired. “This unacceptable behavior is an outright violation of our policies, shows a lack of respect for our patients and will not be tolerated,” the statement read. The healthcare network also noted that the person who posted the video had not worked at the facility for two months.
The TikTok was quickly deleted, but screen grabs and recordings continued to circulate on social media, sparking outrage. On Reddit’s r/Santabarbara page, users called the incident “beyond unprofessional” and “unethical,” with some demanding that the workers’ licenses be revoked. Sutter Health encouraged patients to discuss their experiences via email or file complaints with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.
