Thursday, April 2, 2020

Health Dept. Hides Nursing Home Info, Won't Increase Inspections During Shutdown

Nursing home tips:  kingfish1935@gmail.com or kingfish1935 on Wickr app.

The Mississippi State Department of Health will not increase inspections of nursing homes while they are locked down to visitors.  There are Covid-19 infections at 22 long-term care facilities in Mississippi.



State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs provided little information about nursing homes yesterday despite questioning by the media. Dr. Dobbs said he would only release the number of nursing homes in individual counties instead of the names of the nursing homes infected.

This correspondent asked Dr. Dobbs if the department would increase the inspection of nursing homes.  Readers have told JJ they are very concerned about the welfare of their loved ones since the closing of nursing homes to visitors.  Dr. Dobbs said his investigators were still working complaints.  Yours truly asked Dr. Dobbs how could people file complaints if they couldn't visit the nursing homes.  The State Health Officer admitted that was an issue. 

He also said there would be no increase in inspections or visits by his staff. He said "we don't want to increase the number of different people coming in and out of there" but instead want a "stable population."


Kingfish note: The State Health Officer's response is completely unacceptable.   Families are understandably worried about the care of their loved ones confined to nursing homes.  Some nursing homes don't exactly have a stellar record of caring for their charges while others are just plain neglectful.  Family members can't file complaints if they can't visit.  The State Health Department should recognize reality and increase inspections.  Such action will alleviate fears.  There are medically sound ways to conduct such inspections even with proper precautions. 

The State Health Department is working against the public by refusing to release the names of infected nursing home facilities.  The Louisiana Department of Health provides such information on its website.   Dr. Dobbs sounded more like a bureaucrat than a State Health Officer who answers to the public.  No one wants patient information.  However, the public has a right to know which nursing homes are infected.    The Health Department works for us, not the other way around.


16 comments:

Anonymous said...

MS Care Center in Raleigh has several cases "on one side of the facility".

Anonymous said...

Leaning on the nursing home association(s) to self-police their members is a laughable response from Dobbs. Borderline intellectually dishonest.

Anonymous said...

Leaning on the nursing home association(s) to self-police ...

MHCA as effective as Mississippi BAR. IOW damn bad.

Sho Nuff said...

This is not acceptable. In no shape, form, or fashion is this acceptable. My youngest sister was head of nursing in several different long care facilities, but has long since retired. She would be first to say it is unacceptable.

Anonymous said...

I'll mention three names, Ed Trehern, Roy Williams, and Jerry St. Pe, three states, MS, AL, FL (with particular attention to a particular FL mailing address) and variations of the business name "Delta." An smart, enterprising investigator or journalist might, for example, carefully review the Secretary of State business filings or something of that sort.

Anonymous said...

Hey Dr. Dobbs, here's a question for you:

What if Baptist Hospital suggests that my mother consider a going to a "swing bed" facility after being discharged later this week? They've told me to think about that as an option. Many of those facilities offer long term nursing home care along with swing bed rehabilitation. I suppose I could call your office and ask you which one has the lowest COVID-19 infection rate, you know, ask you to provide useful information to the taxpayers that rely on you for such info. Shame on me for thinking you would look out for little old ladies. Apparently you think the Feds would get mad at you for releasing the name of the facility because it's "patient protected". That's BS and I don't care if it was. I need to know before I send her off to a potential death sentence. DO YOUR JOB!!

Anonymous said...

Not defending anyone nor blaming either. Doctors and health experts reported on national news yesterday that anyone with pre-existing conditions and or elderly would not be put on a ventilator before a younger healthier person. Don’t know who or how these decisions are made but agree with Rev. Franklin Graham that babies being killed a& are not expendable either. We all need to have our affairs in order as emotional fatigue & workload is playing into every healthcare provider right now. As hard as it is we Must Trust and Believe in God!

Anonymous said...

I run 5 nursing homes. If a surveyor showed up right now I wouldn’t let them in the door. It’s impossible to describe how serious this is for that age demographic.

Anonymous said...

Tate and the rest of the do nothing legislature have cut the shit out of state agency budgets over the last ten years. And conservative watchdogs like yourself KF cheered them on. "We don't need big guvment." Now all you conservatives are screaming for government to do something that they don't even remotely have adequate resources to accomplish. This is a freaking once in a lifetime event thrown on those agencies responsible and they are all stuck with underfunded and understaffed organizations because folks like Tate been riding those cuts to reelection every year. Bubba likes cuttin' the shit out of guvment, until Bubba realizes that same guvment responsible for monitoring granny's nursing home. Karma.

ps I don't work for MSDH or any other state agency. And, I'm not a Democrat or Socialist, or etc.

Anonymous said...

Dr. Dobbs should have his license pulled over his handling of the current covid-19 crisis.

Anonymous said...

One might think Dobbs’ refusal borders on neglect or abuse of a vulnerable adult.

Sho Nuff said...

@3:28, how about ignorant. Would you own up to being ignorant. Come on heart felt confession is good for the soul. Only someone ignorant would think it was a good idea to post the nonsense you did. You would rather get on this chat board, disparage, belittle,and ridicule people than have sex. Tell us, how inadequate do you feel? Remember, honest confession is good for the soul.

Been There Got The Tee-Shirt said...

FACT: Nobody wants to investigate nursing homes - before, during or after Covid. We have a shit load of laws and regulations regarding patient abuse and nursing home protocol, yet the abuse and ignorance and untrained staff in these places is dynamic and abysmal. Anybody who has ever worked in one or had a family member 'incarcerated' in one, knows this to be true.

Bed 'turnover' is what moves the bottom line. Whether turnover is based on the regular Bingo participants checking-out or something like this disaster, is largely irrelevant....except for the speed at which the beds are vacated.

OldManYakking said...

From a now-retired long term care administrator:
I have mixed emotions about this. The MSDH long term care survey section is historically understaffed and overworked. They have difficulty getting around to just the "due" inspections, so the potential for actually increasing inspections is bordering on stupid.

Next, I question how the MSDH intends to PROTECT each facility's residents and staff from potential infection. Surveyors are in/out of at least one facility per week or ten days. Thus, they are leaving their own "germs" in each facility, and they are picking up facility germs and carrying them to the next facility. It breeds the potential for spreading infection exponentially (I've always wanted to use that big word).

I agree it is difficult for family members to be denied access to their nursing home residents. However, resident, staff and surveyor safety and good health are the paramount concerns here. I doubt we are ever going to return to the exact "life as we knew it" if and when this crisis has passed.

MANY nursing homes are reputable and provide high quality care. Not ALL nursing homes are breeding grounds for elder abuse and/or neglect. Yes, it happens, and there is another attorney billboard just two miles ahead of you on any highway, keeping that thought prominently lodged in your mind.

What to do? I don't have magic answers. I'm just saying the reality is not as cut and dried as some articles and opinions want to make it.

Stay safe!

Anonymous said...

YOU think is was not acceptable because you got a chance to ask questions. If YOU say some facilities don't have a stellar record, then why are their 'concerned' families warehousing their folks in such 'unstellar' facilities.

If a family member wants to know about a particular facility, then they ought to call the administrator f the facility where they are paying for this service.

Oh, sorry. Most folks whose families are in these non-stellar facilities have shelteted all of mama's or daddy's asets in their personal accounts (sheltered them in 'their' home) so that the rest of us could pay for the nursing home via Medicaid.

Anonymous said...

Someone is afraid that a look-see might turn something up. NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisi...er, the nursing home inspection...

Lots of federal money...follow the money.



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