An organization that advocates for disabled Iowans says decisions made by Gov. Terry Branstad are causing the state’s nursing home residents to suffer and die.Disability Rights Iowa, which is part of a national network of advocacy groups established by Congress, published a scathing, open letter to Branstad on Wednesday, questioning the governor’s pursuit of a less punitive method of regulating Iowa’s nursing homes.
Sylvia Piper, the organization’s executive director, told Branstad in the letter that because of his “political choices, people are suffering and dying on a regular basis in Iowa’s nursing homes.” Piper invited Branstad to join her on a two-day tour of care facilities.
“I want you to see what I have seen,” she wrote. “I want you to witness up close the effects of abuse and neglect. I wager that less than 24 hours after our return, if you are even remotely human, you will double the number of nursing home inspectors on your staff.”
Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht said Iowa’s inspections department, now led by former state lawmaker Rod Roberts, is doing “great work” and is protecting vulnerable Iowans.
Piper said her letter is a reaction to Disability Rights Iowa seeing an increase in complaints regarding nursing homes and other types of care facilities in Iowa.
“We do periodic reviews of the investigations that the inspections department does,” she said. “They appear to be overlooking things. We’re finding extremely incomplete work on these investigations. They are not, as they did in the past, looking into these problems in an in-depth way. It’s not good. We’re having to replicate their investigations.”
The Des Moines Register has asked the inspections department for details on the time now spent on inspections and the number of abuse complaints that result in investigations. The department has turned the newspaper’s request over to federal officials who have yet to provide that information.
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Group Says Branstad Actions Cause Nursing Home Deaths
2 comments:
A standing ovation for Sylvia Piper!
We need the government's help on inspecting nursing homes. I have been spending a lot of time at a nursing home which I believe is a high quality one, but you never know. I can advocate for me relative for what she needs, but need help these inspections provide for food inspections, sanitary inspections and investigating elder abuse complains.
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