New Beginning or Same Old Story?

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported on national for profit nursing home chain Genesis Healthcare avoiding accountability by declaring bankruptcy. Genesis Healthcare currently stands as one of the nation’s largest nursing home operators and it operates roughly a third of nursing homes in New Mexico. Many cases surrounding nursing home abuse have been brought against Genesis since its opening and a third of its facilities received one-star ratings in the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ five-star rating system.

One particularly bad facility is Genesis’ Casa Real. As one of just two nursing home facilities currently operating in Santa Fe County, many families are forced to make a rushed decision on where to place their family members to recover after a surgery. Casa Real received 29 health citations during its latest inspection that showed concerning patterns such as “inadequate protocols to limit infectious disease exposure, improper medication and food storage,” etcetera.

However, as of July 2025, the company filed for bankruptcy. Instead of halting or ceasing operation, Genesis is in “the process of finalizing its court-approved, $1 billon sale.” After the sale of the company is finalized, the facilities plan to stay open under new ownership. With this transference of ownership, the article describes the need for higher standards and policy changes.

Families in New Mexico with pending settlements against Genesis are predicted to only receive “about 10% of what the company originally agreed to pay them.” Nursing homes are supposed to be the protectors and caretakers of societies weak and elderly, yet they continuously mistreat and abuse them, often facing minimal consequences and Genesis is no exception to this trend.

The question left after this article is will this new leadership lead to changes and improvements or continue the theme of abuse and neglect left by Genesis.