On Tuesday, March 3, Attorney General William P. Barr held a press conference to announce the launch of the National Nursing Home Initiative, in which the Department of Justice will be vigorously pursuing criminal and civil actions against nursing homes that provide substandard care.At the press conference, Barr gave a description of the types of grim conditions that the DOJ and the National Nursing Home Initiative will be working to eliminate:“Over the past few years, the department has uncovered horrifying examples of certain nursing facilities, where seniors are being mistreated, undernourished, and neglected. …the department has encountered nursing homes where the residents are literally being eaten away by scabies, where patients are left with bedsores down to the bone, where prescribed medication is not being provided, and patients are left screaming in pain for hours on end. We have found facilities unfit for living, plagued by filth, mold, insects, and rodents.”The DOJ’s National Nursing Home Initiative will be led by the Elder Justice Initiative in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as with local authorities. Barr stated that investigations have already been initiated for 30 nursing homes in 9 states.
Barr clarified that this announcement should not be misinterpreted as an indictment of the entire assisted-living industry, but rather as an effort to eliminate the “really bad apples.” He also issued a stern warning for nursing homes that provide substandard care, saying “Mark my words: The Initiative will bring to justice those owners and operators who put profits before patients.”
At Brown & Barron, LLC, we represent Maryland clients in nursing home abuse and neglect claims. To learn more about your rights and options in a free consultation, call our team at (410) 698-1717 today.
