California Medi-Cal Funds Cut Nursing Homes Staff and Services, Endanger Residents

Covenant Care owns many nursing homes and skilled-care facilities that, along with other assisted living facilities, received $880 million in state funds in 2004 to provide better care for Medi-Cal patients. The money was provided so that these assisted living facilities could hire more staff, pay higher wages and provide a higher level of care for their patients. Non-profit newsroom California Watch conducted an investigation into the facilities that received this money and found that 232 of them cut staff and reduced nursing ratios below state minimum standards after receiving the funds.

Covenant Care’s marketing states that their facilities provide the “highest quality of care” and their staff treats the people under their care like “family.” California Watch singled out one of the company’s facilities for special mention. St. Edna Subacute & Rehabilitation Center in Santa Ana cut staff by 5 percent between 2004 and 2008, resulting in levels of care that fell below the state minimum of 3.2 hours per patient. St. Edna has reportedly received 119 citations and warnings for substandard care over the last three years. The state average is 54.

Covenant Care is a defendant in several pending wrongful death and nursing home neglect lawsuits. California nursing home neglect lawyer Samer Habbas is monitoring these cases very closely and knows that Covenant Care is not the only corporation under investigation for receiving Medi-Cal funds and providing substandard levels of care. If you know or suspect that someone you care for is the victim of nursing home neglect, call Southern California nursing home neglect lawyer Samer Habbas at 888-848-5084. He can contact the appropriate authorities to investigate the matter and explain the laws that apply to the situation. If you believe that someone is being neglected, every minute counts. Call Long Beach nursing home neglect lawyer Samer Habbas today.

Resource link: California Medical Funds Cut Nursing Homes Staff and Services, Endanger Residents