2023-06-28 23:36:20
NEW YORK — The operators of four nursing homes in New York embezzled more than $83 million in government funds and neglected residents, including some who were malnourished or sat for hours in their own urine and feces, the attorney general said of the state, Letitia James, in a lawsuit Wednesday.
The lawsuit filed in Manhattan accuses the owners and operators of Centers Health Care of using Medicaid and Medicare funds to enrich themselves, their family members and associates instead of caring for the residents. James claims that a lack of staff at the homes contributed to the neglect.
“Residents were left alone and alone, often with no help or supervision, leading to dangerous falls and broken bones. The residents lived in squalor, surrounded by abandoned food trays, vermin and the smell of human excrement,” James said at a news conference with the residents’ relatives.
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We’re suing four nursing homes run by @CentersHealth and their owners and operators for allegedly pocketing over $83 million in taxpayer money that should have been used for resident care.
As a result, residents suffered greatly, were endangered, and even died. pic.twitter.com/qPA0Ay8PNx
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) June 28, 2023
The company denied the allegations.
“Centers Health Care prides itself on its commitment to patient care. Centers wholeheartedly denies the New York Attorney General’s allegations and attempted to settle this matter out of court. We will fight these false claims with the facts on our side,” spokesman Jeff Jacomowitz said in an emailed statement.
The four homes in the lawsuit are the Beth Abraham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in The Bronx, the Holliswood Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Queens, the Martine Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Westchester County, and the of Buffalo.
The lawsuit claims residents’ meals were delayed, their clothing was stolen and they did not answer doorbells. One resident with severe pressure ulcers developed sepsis, was hospitalized, and died. Another resident did not have her colostomy bag in place. Others suffered from dehydration.
“My uncle was found sitting in a dirty room, not bathed and only wearing an adult diaper. This was not my uncle. George was a veteran. He was an artist,” Cynthia Vega said, recalling her late uncle George’s stay in Holliswood.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, households were unable to control its spread. More than 400 residents of the four houses died in 2020, according to James.
The lawsuit names the co-owners of Centers Health CareKenneth Rozenberg and Daryl Hagler, and a number of companies owned by them, family members or business associates.
James seeks, among other things, the return of the money and the prohibition of new admissions until the staffing of the residences is increased.
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