Sources report that a nurse identified as A.D. filed a civil lawsuit in Montgomery County, Texas, alleging that former Memorial Hermann The Woodlands patient care director, Robert Pinon Shrader, secretly installed hidden cameras in hospital restrooms and recorded her, other staff, and patients in various stages of undress.
According to the allegations in the lawsuit, one of the cameras was discovered in August 2025 during routine maintenance when a construction or engineering team servicing the HVAC system found a wireless device concealed in the ceiling of a single-stall, unisex bathroom on the second floor of Memorial Hermann The Woodlands' West Tower. After hospital security reviewed the camera's SD card, they allegedly saw footage of Shrader installing the device as well as recordings of multiple individuals, including hospital staff, using the restroom in various stages of undress. A.D. alleges she regularly used that second-floor restroom, which is one basis for her claim that she was likely recorded.
Subsequent searches by hospital security and law enforcement led to the discovery of additional evidence. Investigators reportedly found a second SD card in Shrader's office and another camera still in its box, and a third camera was later located in a single-stall bathroom on the third floor of the West Tower, also accessible to the public.
The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has stated that more than 300 videos and images were recovered from multiple hidden cameras, depicting at least seven identified victims and showing both staff and patients in varying stages of undress. A separate investigative summary from a plaintiffs' firm likewise references multiple cameras in public-access bathrooms at the hospital and more than 300 video files and images tied to the alleged recording scheme.
Shrader, a former supervisor and patient care director for the medical-surgical unit, has been arrested and charged with seven counts of felony invasive visual recording - one for each identified victim - after an initial single count was expanded when authorities filed six additional charges based on the recovered footage.
Sources: https://www.morningstar.com/news/business-wire/20250908263489/nurse-files-lawsuit-in-memorial-hermann-hospital-hidden-camera-scandal; https://abc7chicago.com/post/former-memorial-hermann-health-system-employee-robert-pinon-shrader-accused-hiding-cameras-texas-hospital-bathrooms/17685389/; https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2025/08/28/memorial-hermann-doctor-facing-new-hidden-camera-charges-records-show-he-was-a-houston-area-teacher/
Commentary
The above allegations of hidden cameras and restrooms demonstrate how a single actor can exploit policy gaps and weak inspection practices to create widespread harm to staff, patients, and families.
A defensible loss prevention posture requires written policies that strictly limit cameras in or near private spaces, coupled with documented, recurring physical inspections designed to detect and deter covert recording devices.
A comprehensive camera policy in healthcare should start from the premise that there is a reasonable expectation of privacy in restrooms, locker rooms, changing areas, showers, lactation rooms, and any exam or treatment space where patients or employees may be in stages of undress.
Cameras should be categorically prohibited in these locations and in any area where audio or video surveillance could capture protected health information, intimate examinations, or staff using restrooms or changing clothes. Any necessary security cameras in adjacent corridors or public areas must be positioned and tested so that fields of view cannot see into doorways, mirrors, gaps, vents or reflective surfaces that might indirectly capture private activities.
Policy should also tightly control who is authorized to install, reposition, access or review footage from any camera on premises. Only designated security or facilities personnel with a legitimate enterprise need, vetted background checks, and documented training should have administrative control over surveillance systems.
The policy should bar individual departments, managers, or clinicians from bringing in personal recording devices, "temporary" cameras or consumer-grade equipment to solve local issues, even if well-intended. Any request for new or relocated cameras should flow through a formal approval process with legal, compliance, HR and privacy review, so that fields of view, storage, retention and notice requirements are evaluated before installation.
Physical inspections are a critical loss prevention control because covert cameras are often small, wireless and disguised as everyday objects or hidden above ceiling tiles, inside vents, outlet covers, smoke detectors, light fixtures or décor.
Healthcare employers should establish a written inspection protocol that designates who is responsible for inspecting restrooms, locker rooms, changing rooms and similar spaces at least monthly, with more frequent inspections in high-traffic or high-risk areas such as staff-only restrooms on patient care units, family changing rooms, and locker rooms used by large numbers of employees across shifts.
The protocol should instruct inspectors to systematically scan ceilings, corners, fixtures, vents, mirrors, wall plates and any object that looks out of place, newly installed, tampered with or inconsistent with the facility's standard fixtures.
Because many covert devices are battery-powered and transmit data wirelessly, inspection procedures should also contemplate the use of basic technical tools where feasible, such as RF detectors or smartphone apps that can identify suspicious Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signals and networked cameras not accounted for on the organization's inventory.
Any anomalies should trigger immediate notification of security or IT for further investigation. Equally important, every inspection should be documented in a log or electronic system, noting who performed the inspection, what areas were checked, and what was observed. Documentation becomes crucial to show regulators, plaintiffs, and insurers that the organization did not ignore foreseeable risks, and that it exercised reasonable care.
Training and reporting expectations are central to making these policies and inspections effective. Staff should receive orientation and periodic refresher training that explains where cameras are and are not allowed, what types of devices or alterations to fixtures should raise suspicion, and how to report concerns about hidden cameras or unusual equipment without fear of retaliation.
The reporting pathway should be simple and well-publicized, such as immediate notification to security, the compliance hotline or a supervisor, with a clear commitment that every report will be promptly investigated. HR and leadership should reinforce that installing any recording device in a private space or using cameras contrary to policy is a terminable offense and may be referred to law enforcement and licensing boards, emphasizing that this is not a minor violation but a serious breach of trust and safety.
The final takeaway is that combining policies and procedures with inspections and documentation can help reduce legal exposure and demonstrate to employees and patients that privacy and dignity are core to a safety program.
