The motion also calls for bringing in the Auditor-Controller to ensure closer monitoring of skilled nursing facilities immediately. The inspector general would be tasked with developing recommendations on how to strengthen oversight for skilled nursing facilities, and how to improve their operations long-term, according to a statement.
Many skilled nursing homes get low marks for quality of care, patient satisfaction, and employee pay, the statement noted.
The Board of Supervisors will vote on the motion at their next meeting on Tuesday, May 26.
“While some skilled nursing homes may be doing their best to respond to COVID-19, we’ve seen hundreds of deaths at these facilities, tragically exposing the urgent need for stronger oversight across the industry,” Ridley-Thomas said. “Now, more than ever, we must act to address any questionable operations and substandard conditions in the facilities that care for some of our most vulnerable residents — the elderly, the low-income and the disabled.”
Barger added: “Skilled nursing facilities provide critical care and support for many of our most vulnerable populations. As the County fights the COVID-19 public health crisis, we must greatly improve our ability to assess and oversee these facilities to ensure the safety and well-being of all those who have been entrusted to their care.”
Skilled nursing facilities, which serve thousands of residents who tend to be older and medically fragile, have become the epicenter of L.A. County’s COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 18, 4,794 residents and 2,918 staff from these facilities have tested positive for the virus. At the Mayflower Gardens Convalescent Hospital in Lancaster, 13 staff members and 20 residents have tested positive for COVID-19, and 10 have died due to coronavirus.
The L.A. County Department of Health Services director, Dr. Christina Ghaly, said: “It is our collective responsibility to protect and support the most vulnerable among us. Prioritizing the health and safety of those in our County’s skilled nursing facilities is the right thing to do and will also help protect the availability of hospital resources for all those who need them.”
The Barger/Ridley-Thomas motion says it is “critical that L.A. County learn the lessons of this crisis; identify the internal and external factors that have contributed to inadequate conditions within skilled nursing facilities; and provide oversight, accountability and resources as needed.”
They described the proposed inspector general as a “much-needed accountability measure” appointed to conduct an exhaustive review of L.A. County’s capacity to regulate skilled nursing facilities, recommend structural and operational changes, and outline a plan for ensuring adequate and sustainable oversight. They also plan to task the inspector general with recommending regulatory and policy improvements at the local, state and federal levels to enhance quality of care, ensuring adequate infection control measures, and supporting healthcare workers.
To increase transparency, the Barger/Ridley-Thomas motion also called for directing the L.A. County Auditor-Controller to take the lead in designing a publicly accessible dashboard with information about COVID-19 case totals, testing frequency, mitigation plan status, and other information. The motion seeks to find ways to enhance L.A. County’s ability to assess the adequacy of mitigation plans and to oversee their implementation.
–
Pattie mom says
This facility has subpar care…there are only a few good nurses. The rest are rude and don’t care about the residents or their families. They lie alot, steal personal belongings and don’t do anything about it. This place needs to be investigated. Patients are left wet and giving them showers are questionable. So sad when familes don’t have any other choice and think they are leaving them in good hands.
Tom says
So some lucky friend of one of the board members is going to get a salary of 300 thousand a year to sit on his ass and make rules that wont be enforced. There are a few steps needed to stop the virus in nursing homes. Stop nurses from working at multiple facilities and the virus wont be spread from one facility to another. If a patient has the virus keep them there, and check staff and patients for signs of the virus multiple times a day. These three steps will save lives and millions.