*Twenty hospital workers in Florida were fired this week for violating the privacy of Richard Collier, the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman who was shot multiple times on Sept. 2.
The employees, who include nurses, admissions workers and patient relations staff at Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center, were accused of breaking federal privacy rules by accessing Collier's medical records and passing them around to co-workers.
Channel 4 news in Jacksonville reports that the employees were fired for violating the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which is designed to protect patients' medical records.
The hospital released this statement: "Any allegation of a breach in patient confidentiality is taken very seriously. All allegations are investigated thoroughly. If it has been determined that a violation has occurred, disciplinary action up to and including termination can be used. In order to maintain patient confidentiality we do not comment on any specific cases."
Collier was rushed to Shands after he was shot 14 times. He spent two weeks in the trauma center and left the hospital paralyzed from the waist down.