RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — 8News has discovered that long before the coronavirus pandemic, poor care and lax standards were widespread problems in long-term care facilities in Virginia and across the country.
We’ve uncovered that nursing homes were prime for problems with this pandemic. Half of the nursing homes in the Richmond area got a below-average rating from the federal agency that oversees the assisted living facilities.
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We’ve also found some of the deficiencies inspectors are finding are shocking. In many cases, they noted basic hygiene violations.
Meantime, hundreds of Virginians have died in long-term care facilities. These centers continue to make up the majority of COVID-19 outbreaks in the Commonwealth.
Advocates for nursing home residents like Elaine Ryan, AARP’s Vice President of State Advocacy said it’s time for state and federal regulators to take a closer look at how we warehouse our elderly in America.
“We don’t have a life to waste in this country and certainly we need to fix our lens on nursing homes,” Ryan said.
Coming up tonight on 8News at 6, we’ll take a deeper look at the issue plaguing nursing homes.
