A statewide task force has filed suit against the nation’s largest nursing home chain, alleging it ignored laws that protect patients’ safety and that it manipulated the federal government’s nursing home ratings system.
The announcement of the lawsuit — released by Jeffrey Rosell, the Santa Cruz county’s district attorney — includes several allegations: that Brookdale Senior Living failed to properly notify its patients and families of transfers and discharges; failed to provide required timely notice to its patients with a copy to the local ombudsmen; and failed to properly prepare its patients for transfer or discharge, all of which “endangered the health of its patients and left families scrambling to find other places to care for their loved ones,” according to the announcement.
The Brookdale website lists 15 nursing homes it operates in the region between Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa, including the following: two in Danville, two in Pleasanton, three in Santa Rosa, and one each in San Ramon, Fremont, Redwood City, Brentwood, Napa, San Jose, Sonoma and Scotts Valley.
The suit alleges that the company was also awarded undeserved four-and five-star ratings for its nursing homes, after the company provided false information by over-reporting its nursing staffing hours.
The statewide task force includes California Attorney General Xavier Becerra and was founded in a joint effort by the Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office.
My wife’s parents were in one. They were paying big bucks and they raised there rent 300 bucks every year. Talk about taking advantage of the elderly.
Newsom attacking nursing homes to gain leverage in court for the COVID nursing home deaths he is responsible for. Sleazy government at is swampist.
Glad to see somebody is doing something about this. However, Becerra was confirmed today for his appointment to U.S. Health and Human Services, unfortunately. As California Attorney General, he had ample time to address nursing home abuses which are rampant in the state, but has only done so now as a footnote to his California career … which has been unremarkable.
Newsom should have been prosecuted immediately by Becerra’s office for nursing home deaths he permitted in his negligence allowing Covid-infected patients to be transferred to Covid-free facilities. But, Newsom, as Newsom has stated publicly, simply does not do the parts of his assigned job duties he “does not like.” Apparently, he had a convert and a cohort in Becerra.
My parents were at a Brookdale in Fairfield which was later sold as Pegasus. Though a lot of the staff stayed. They finally have a new exe director getting rid of the dead weight.
Be vigilant with your parents. Visit often. Eldercare is not the best in this area.