Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico rejected social media claims that he received treatment at an Ohio mental health facility, saying he has never visited the state and pointing to a statement from the hospital that said he was never a patient there.
In an Oct. 12 social media post, Talarico rejected the claims after an Ohio hospital said he had not received treatment there. The allegations circulated on X following Talarico's nearly two-week absence from the campaign trail, which his campaign has attributed to a bout of the flu.
The rumors spread widely after conservative influencer Nick Sortor claimed on X that Talarico had received treatment at the Lindner Center of Hope. The post received more than 6.8 million views within a day.
The hospital responded to the allegations on Sunday, Oct. 11, issuing a statement on X, denying that Talarico had ever been a patient.
I’ve never even been to Ohio 😂 https://t.co/J7EBNK7W5C
— James Talarico (@jamestalarico) October 12, 2026
"Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope," the hospital wrote on X.
Talarico also dismissed the claims, writing on X that he had never even been to Ohio.
The allegations prompted online discussion about patient privacy and whether the disclosure of a person's medical treatment, if it occurred, could raise HIPAA concerns. No evidence has been presented that Talarico was treated at the facility, and the hospital has said he was never a patient there.
The federal law establishes safeguards for patients' medical information and generally restricts health care providers from disclosing protected health information without authorization.
Talarico addresses absence from campaign trail
In an Oct. 11 interviewwith Phil Prazan, host of NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth's "Lone Star Politics," Talarico addressed the speculation surrounding his absence from the campaign trail.
Talarico said he had visited his primary care physician and spent much of his recovery resting in bed while continuing to work from home.
When asked if he had received treatment for a "stress-induced episode," Talarico responded, "That's not true. I just had the flu and I feel much better, but it's a good reminder that you can't believe everything you read on the internet."
Republican U.S. Senate candidate and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has also questioned Talarico's explanation for his absence from the campaign trail.
"Jimmy appears to be having a full-blown mental Tala-freak-out on the national stage," Paxton wrote in an Oct. 8 post on X, calling on Talarico to provide "proof of life."
Paxton continued questioning Talarico's explanation on Oct. 10, after the Democratic candidate returned to public campaigning.
"James Talarico claims he was missing for 13 days because he had the 'flu.' Who actually believes that? He was only seen for the first time in 13 days during a staged 15-minute appearance at a music festival. He owes Texans answers," Paxton wrote on X.
What is HIPAA?
Known as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, it created federal standards to protect sensitive health information from disclosure without a patient's consent, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
What is protected through HIPAA?
All "individually identifiable health information" held or provided by covered health care providers and insurance companies, according to theU.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This includes information in any form or media — electronic, paper or oral — that relates to:
- An individual's past, present or future physical or mental health or condition
- Provision of health care to the individual
- Past, present or future payment for the provision of health care to the individual
- Information that identifies the individual or for which there is a reasonable basis to believe it can be used to identify the individual.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Talarico refutes Ohio health rumors, raises HIPAA questions
