Mercury News reported California operator Mariner Health Care agreed to pay up to $15.5 million in penalties, plus $2.25 million in costs, if the chain continues to fail to abide by terms related to patient safety and staffing levels. In 2021, all 19 of Mariner’s facilities and the company’s corporate management were sued for unsafely discharging
Lawmakers approved a bill in May to divide the large Department of Health and Environmental Control into two separate entities. Myrtle Beach News reported that South Carolina will spend more than $62 million to separate the DHEC into the state’s combined public health and environmental agency and relocate employees to different locations. The Republican politicians are
AARP published a great article from Maura Kelly Lannan about a recent OIG report on the staffing issues in the nursing home industry. The report found “monumental and persistent staffing challenges,” as well as issues with infection control. The Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services released the report on
This story first appeared in the SC Daily Gazette. A mew report published by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging shows a lack of investigation and enforcement by regulatory agencies over the long-term care industry. Vulnerable adults are being abused and neglected and the government does nothing to deter the conduct. The report mentions South Carolina as one
Kandus Jellison is a certified nursing assistant. She sued her former employer for wrongful termination. The lawsuit alleges that supervisors at Oakwood Specialty Care failed to care for a resident’s wellbeing after a fall, and denied his rights to participate in his care and contact anyone he wished. She was wrongly fired for disputing a