Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro has announced a criminal investigation into possible criminal neglect at Pennsylvania's nursing homes, where the death toll from Covid-19 is an astonishing 68.6%.
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has the responsibility of regulating and licensing nursing homes, but suspended its annual surveys as a result of the pandemic.
Health Secretary Rachel Levine in fact directed nursing homes to accept new residents who tested positive for Covid-19, despite objections from the American Health Care Association that the virus would spread like a California wildfire.
And so it did.
Amidst calls for her resignation, Dr. Levine yesterday announced sweeping changes at the Commonwealth's embattled nursing homes, to include the testing of all residents and staff.
AG Shapiro has established a public email for reports of neglect. It's neglect-COVID@attorneygeneral.gov.
31 comments:
But she did keep her own mother safe...by moving her out of a nursing home.
i welcome the investigation, but I suspect the administration's gross incompetence in handling this situation is simply a result of monumental ineptitude, and not criminal conduct.
The Harrisburg ABC affiliate reports:
While [State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel] Levine beefs up rules and oversight at nursing homes and long-term care facilities, ABC27 learned the health secretary’s mother recently vacated a personal care home in the Midstate.
“My mother requested, and my sister and I as her children complied to move her to another location during the Covid-19 outbreak,” Levine said. “My mother is 95 years old. She is very intelligent and more than competent to make her own decisions.”
Many in Harrisburg wondered what kind of message it sends — when a close relative of the person tasked with overseeing those types of facilities doesn’t choose to stay in one. Levine countered that she is working to protect the health of all Pennsylvanians.
Even without COVID-19 I wouldn't want to be in a nursing home if I can avoid it.
I was going to mention, but it seems to me that Dr. Levine simply moved her mother from one home to another. I do not believe she took her mother out of a nursing home completely or to avoid Covid-19. Also, she indicates that this was her mother's wish. Families often change nursing homes and I have no reason to believe that Dr. Levine was doing anything improper in this personal decision. So I chose not to go into it. I notice many others have, and perhaps they are right to do so. I have to go with what seems fair to me. I do not consider her an evil person and believe she and Governor Wolf are both very well-intentioned. But both are allowing fear to dictate the state response. Wolf is a terrible leader with zero personality and I am astonished he was graded so highly in a recent poll. I think Levine is in over her head and has no particular expertise in infectious disease. She certainly is more knowledgeable than most, but she's a pediatrician, not an infectious disease specialist. From what I've gathered, not a single soul at the state DOH has any expertise in infectious disease. They are mostly public health people with little understanding of specific diseases.
"Even without COVID-19 I wouldn't want to be in a nursing home if I can avoid it."
I believe I'll never live long enough to experience the joy of a nursing home, lol.
"I was going to mention, but it seems to me that Dr. Levine simply moved her mother from one home to another."
Good on you for giving her the benefit of the doubt, but the article said "another location," which isn't necessarily another nursing home.
Perhaps there's another source, but if not, Wolf and Levine have been about as transparent with this as they have been with everything else.
True. She and Wolf chave ably demonstrated they lack transparency.
I believed I'd never live long enough to be transferred from St. Luke's 10th floor to Gracedale's 6th floor. The joke was on me. I now pray every night for ALL the staffers and residents of that wonderful facility.
Are you a resident? If so, I am glad to hear from you.
i believe you meant that the Penna virus deaths were 68% in nursing homes. Not 68% of the nursing homes residents.
You are correct. Mea culpa.
I'm in one of those nursing homes. I have a LOT of time on my hands.
Please feel free to share your perspectives whenever able. I appreciate it. I hear one thing from Administrators, another from staff and even another from families. But I never hear from residents. Your perspective is the one that really matters most.
I am glad you have a high opinion of Gracedale. It takes a beating here. It is a public nursing home and is unable to hide its dirty laundry.
Hey Josh, how about standing up for our rights enumerated in the Constitution? You have been MIA for months. Time for a change. Vote Heather Heidelbaugh in November!
Wolf and the fake doctor is really screwing up pa.--big problems with these two
Anonymous said...
Wolf and the fake doctor is really screwing up pa.--big problems with these two
May 13, 2020 at 3:24 PM
Could we see your medical license, please? "Fake news", baby!
I understand that we have defeated the coronavirus, but then I don't understand why Trump is hiding behind all those tests that he should be sharing. Does anyone see anything wrong with that picture?
Levin took her mother out of a home and put in a hotel--Levin made the homes take people with the virus there is your investigation.
"Health Secretary Rachel Levine in fact directed nursing homes to accept new residents who tested positive for Covid-19, despite objections"
way to twist the quote
real quote from linked article
"Dr. Levine "directed licensed long-term facilities to continue admitting new patients, including those discharged from hospitals but unable to go home, and to readmit current patients after hospital stays." The order stated: "This may include stable patients who have had the COVID-19 virus."
The nursing homes were given guidance to have isolation capability and to take covid precautions with stable patients.
What you had was nursing homes not taking residents back after any hospitalization.
remember these residents make the nursing home their home.
article
https://www.buckscountycouriertimes.com/news/20200501/states-ordered-nursing-homes-to-take-covid-19-residents-thousands-died-how-it-happened
"State health officials also directed long-term care centers to employ “normal discharge-to-home” criteria to assist in long-term care bed availability, and to take “appropriate quarantine measures” for positive cases."
In other words, she incompetently directed nursing homes to accept Covid-19 residents, and over the objections of American Health. This, combined with her suspension of annual surveys, is borderline criminal negligence. But Josh Shapiro, who would like to be Pa.s next Governor, has her back. He will raise all kinds of insinuations about nursing home owners without actually prosecuting anyone, diverting attention from Levine.
6.29
So where do you send a dementia patient who has or had covid?
Or those who need constant care?
BTW this also was in March (18th) when it was not known whether or not hospitals could handle the stress.
The surveys would expose the inspectors who would go from home to home possibly being a vector.
The reposting requirements are still in place.
You DON'T send a dementia resident with Covid-19 to a nursing home. The very first deaths in this country were at a nursing home. If we knew one thing about this virus, we knew it was particularly deadly in a congregate care facility full of already at-risk people. Dr. Levine's decision was reckless, especially since she at the same time suspended annual surveys. You justify this by stating inspectors would be vectors. No more so than the staff at a nursing home. With PPE, this should never be a problem. By suspending surveys, residents could be undergoing poor practice and no one would be any the wiser.
Given the high death toll, it's beyond dispute that Dr. Levine's efforts were mistaken. I will not accuse her of having blood on her hands bc I do think she is well-intentioned and she is, after all, a physician. But the data condemn her.
I pointed this out several weeks ago and I have no medical knowledge. I just remember my own grandparents, who did roam and were senile in their final years. My mother moved them in with us and even built an extension to our home for them and provided care. They still thought they were in the coal regions.
So what do you do? You let the dementia resident shelter in place until no longer contagious, whether at a hospital or some other facility or home.
A person with Covid-19 who has dementia can never be trusted to stay in one place. The last thing you do is admit them to an unfamiliar setting. I even received comments about this happening at Gracedale, but do not personally know it.
Wolf and Levine are the people who are leading this fight--boy or we lucky.
We are lucky to have Wolf and Levine. PA simply does not meet the reopening guidelines that came from the White House, and they are holding the line. Good for them. and us.
8:49 PM
What portions of the White House guidelines are the parts of the state that are going from red to yellow meeting that the Lehigh Valley isn't?
Good. Can't wait to all the neglect comes out at Gracedale and McClure (the liar who was going to take care of the elderly) and his cronies are gone.
Yet Levine took her mother out of a nursing home and put her in a hotel room.
Shapiro is a political animal. This is just like his investigation into the Catholic Church. He will run for Guv in PA and this is just him laying the groundwork. I've spoken to lawmakers in Harrisburg and he is widely despised as he plays dirty and has no scruples. And this assessment is coming from other politicians!
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