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Carleen

Carleen was an emergency department nurse at St. James Hospital ER in Montgomery, Alabama. In winter 2019, she assessed sixteen-year-old Elliot Landry after his half-brother Sean deliberately broke his left wrist. Carleen recognized that the injury did not match an accidental explanation and initiated the hospital’s abuse-response process.

Career

Carleen worked in the emergency department at St. James Hospital. Her role included clinical assessment, immediate care, coordination with social work, and continued care until Elliot’s mother arrived.

2019 Elliot Landry Abuse Intervention

Main article: Elliot’s Broken Wrist and ER Visit (Winter 2019) - Event

Sean left Elliot at the emergency department entrance and disappeared before staff could question him. During Carleen’s assessment, Elliot vomited from the severity of the pain. She recognized the injury as suspected abuse and called hospital social work.

Carleen crouched to Elliot’s level, told him before touching his wrist, and stopped when the examination overwhelmed him. He continued to say that he had fallen. Rather than press him for a disclosure he could not yet give, she asked the charge nurse to bring social work quietly. Sean’s disappearance from the waiting area added to her concern.

Elliot asked for his mother and apologized for disrupting her work shift. J&R Foods, where Jazmine worked in produce, was contacted during the emergency response. Manager Lucille located Jazmine and enabled her to leave immediately. Carleen remained with Elliot through X-rays while he waited for Jazmine.

Carleen reassured Elliot that Jazmine would not blame him for being hurt and promised that staff would help him find her when she arrived. After learning from Jazmine that Elliot was autistic and needed more support under stress, Carleen told the imaging staff to avoid surprises and fast touches and to speak calmly. She stayed alongside him through the move to imaging, then greeted Jazmine when she reached the emergency department.

Deja Brooks, the responding social worker, later conducted the abuse interview and filed formal reports with law enforcement and Child Protective Services.

Communication

Carleen used affectionate terms such as “baby” and “sugar” with Elliot, paired with direct explanations of what she was about to do. When she needed help from colleagues, her language became brief and precise; she asked for social work without a public page that Elliot or Sean might hear.

Memorable Quotes

“I’m gonna ask you one more time, baby. Did someone do this to you?” (To Elliot during the initial assessment.)

“Get me Social Work. Quietly. Don’t page it out loud.” (To the charge nurse after Elliot’s assessment.)

“You didn’t ruin anything, baby. You didn’t do a thing wrong.” (To Elliot when he apologized for interrupting Jazmine’s shift.)

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