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in the beginning of quarantine, California state inspectors completed a survey of Magnolia Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riverside. This was done to make sure nursing homes were protecting their residents from COVID-19.
Their one-page report concluded: “No deficiencies.”
But the day after the report was concluded, ambulances were forced to show up and evacuate all of their residents. Their staff decided to stop showing up because of their fear of the virus.
This isn't the only nursing home this happened too. This is a similar scene that occurred throughout nursing homes in California. Inspectors passed these nursing homes, but when you look at the numbers today, residents died in large numbers due to the coronavirus.
A Times review of inspection records found that, as of mid-June, California Department of Public Health inspectors had carried out more than 1,700 “COVID Focused Surveys” at skilled nursing facilities since late March and had issued just 14 infection control citations as a result of those visits.
Yet nursing homes are responsible for 43% of deaths in California.
“These weren’t real inspections; they were more like courtesy call visits. At a time when residents desperately needed the California Department of Public Health to help protect their lives, it tolerated infection control violations that have proven so deadly,” said Patricia L. McGinnis, executive director of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.
It's time to call out Gavin Newsom and the rest of California state officials.
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