After the Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against Golden Gate National Senior Care due to alleged inadequate care, poorly trained staff members, and not enough staff members in 14 different nursing home facilities, the Auditor General and the Department of Health (DOH) formed a task force to review the state regulations of these facilities over a six-month period.
Currently, the DOH is permitted to place provisional statuses on facilities not performing up to par. During this period, the nursing home is able to operate but must be monitored by the DOH while the facility makes improvements to ensure the health and safety of residents. In addition, the DOH is able to ban admissions, initiate civil penalties, and revoke the nursing home’s license. Due to the increase in nursing home safety concerns over the last decade, the task force has been given the responsibility to reform regulations so that nursing homes are forced to abide by stricter standards.
It has been reported that in the past 10 years, the enforcement of safety and health standard in facilities has decreased substantially. In fact, in 2004, the DOH placed 57 nursing homes under provisional status. In addition, 62 penalties were placed on other facilities. Undoubtedly, these statistics left many people disturbed and uneasy about the treatment and care supplied to seniors living in these homes.
The Health Secretary of the DOH, Karen Murphy, expressed her concern stating that these recent allegations are unacceptable. She states that the department is working diligently to alter any regulations and make any changes that are necessary to insure all seniors residing in these facilities are cared for adequately. The task force will be composed of various representatives from the Governor’s Office as well as members of DOH’s aging, human services, and state departments. This team will be responsible for reviewing current policies and reporting all recommendations that will improve the long-term care facilities.
Shrager, Sachs, & Blanco Cares About Your Loved Ones
The Philadelphia Medical Malpractice lawyers at our firm deeply care about your elderly family members. At Shrager, Spivey & Sachs, we believe that every senior should be treated with exceptional care and will do everything we can to help make sure that is happening for your loved ones. If you have any questions regarding the care of your senior loved one, contact our firm today. We fight for the health of our clients.