Owner/Operator Arrested
Emergency Preparedness
Lawmakers have since passed legislation mandating nursing homes to have powered generators. A new bill requires Louisiana nursing homes’ emergency preparedness plans to be approved by the state’s Department of Health each year. Providers must review and update its emergency preparedness plan and submit the full plan to the Louisiana Department of Health by no later than March 1 of each year.
Fraud and Cruelty
The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office arrested disgraced operator Bob Dean following a 10-month investigation into abuse and neglect during Hurricane Ida that caused at least a dozen residents dead. Charges against Dean include eight felony counts of cruelty to persons with infirmities, five felony counts of Medicaid fraud and two felony counts of obstruction to justice.
Public outrage followed the evacuation of more than 800 residents to an empty warehouse owned by Dean. The horrific conditions at the warehouse caused state officials to revoke licenses and terminated state Medicaid provider agreements for Dean’s nursing homes.
Dean “refused to move his residents out of the warehouse following Hurricane Ida, billed Medicaid for dates his residents were not receiving proper care, and engaged in conduct intended to intimidate or obstruct public health officials and law enforcement.”
Dean then moved to Georgia, He now needs ankle monitoring. He also surrendered his passport. However, Dean claims an inability to sit for depositions due to “significant dementia and cognitive impairment.”