THERE
THERE HAVE BEEN NEARLY 50,000 COVID-19 CASES INSIDE TEXAS NURSING HOMES AND ASSISTED
LIVING FACILITIES...
AMONG RESIDENTS AND STAFF...
SINCE THE PANDEMIC
STARTED.
AND 47-HUNDRED LIVES OF ELDERLY
RESIDENTS LOST
BECAUSE OF THE VIRUS - INSIDE
THOSE FACILITIES.
THOSE FACILITIES. BUT THE KVUE DEFENDERS FOUND
PROBLEMS WITH INFECTION CONTROLS.
AND ADVOCATES SAY THOSE NUMBERS
COULD HAVE
BEEN LOWER IF MORE WAS DONE TO
STOP THE SPREAD.
HERE'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
BRAD STREICHER.
BRAD STREICHER. WE UNCOVERED HUNDREDS OF TEXAS
LONG-TERM ELDER CARE CENTERS VIOLATED INFECTIOUS
DISEASE
CONTROL STANDARDS DURING THE
PANDEMIC.
DOZENS OF THEM. RIGHT HERE IN
CENTRAL TEXAS.
WHAT WE FOUND LEAVES FAMILIES
WONDERING IF THEIR LOVED
ONES DIED BECAUSE NURSING HOMES
FAILED TO
FOLLOW PROTOCOL.
AUSTIN NURSING HOME
I HAD SO MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
AND THE MONTH OF
MONTHS OF APRIL AND MAY BECAUSE
I WAS ANTICIPATING
GETTING A CALL FROM RIVERSIDE
SAYING THAT MY MOM HAD
SPIKED A FEVER IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE NIGHT.
CISSY SANDERS' MOM LIVES AT
RIVERSIDE NURSING AND
REHABILITATION CENTER IN SOUTH
AUSTIN. RECORDS SHOW
63 RESIDENTS THERE HAVE TESTED
POSITIVE FOR
COVID-19. AND 12 HAVE DIED.
CISSY'S MOM HASN'T CAUGHT
THE VIRUS. BUT THE NUMBERS ALONE
SCARE HER.
IT MAKES ME ANGRY AND IT MAKES
ME NOT HAVE
CONFIDENCE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF
THE NURSING
HOME.
NATS: TYPING
THE KVUE DEFENDERS HAVE BEEN
TRACKING THE
SPREAD OF COVID-19 INSIDE TEXAS
NURSING HOMES AND
ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES SINCE
THE SPRING.
NATS: SWOOSH
NOW.STATEWIDE DATA SHOWS 31,952
RESIDENTS HAVE
BEEN INFECTED WITH THE VIRUS.
AND 4,745 HAVE DIED
FROM IT.
AND ALF'S
THAT MEANS ABOUT 27
PERCENT OF ALL
TEXANS WHO DIED FROM COVID-19.
WERE IN LONG-
TERM ELDER CARE FACILITIES.
THOSE RESIDENTS
WERE ALREADY THE MOST
SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATION TO
THE VIRUS BECAUSE OF PREEXISTING
MEDICAL
CONDITIONS AND AGE. BUT OUR
INVESTIGATION UNCOVERED
ANOTHER POSSIBLE EXPLANATION. OF
TEXAS
INFECTION CONTROL HAS BEEN A
PROBLEM IN
TEXAS NURSING HOMES FOR AT LEAST
THE LAST FIVE OR SIX
YEARS.
AMANDA FREDRIKSEN OF AARP TEXAS,
A NONPROFIT
GROUP THAT'S BEEN ADVOCATING FOR
SENIOR
CITIZENS FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS,
SAYS THE VIRUS
SHOULD NOT HAVE RAVAGED AS MANY
FACILITIES AS IT
DID.
NATS: SWOOSH
THE KVUE DEFENDERS OBTAINED
RECORDS FROM
THE TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES
COMMISSION SHOWING 565 TEXAS
NURSING HOMES AND
ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES
VIOLATED INFECTION
CONTROL STANDARDS AT LEAST 1,435
TIMES BETWEEN
EARLY MARCH AND MID- AUGUST. 38
OF THOSE ELDER CARE FACILITIES
IN THE 12-COUNTY
KVUE VIEWING AREA ACCOUNT FOR 82
VIOLATIONS.
WEST OAKS NURSING AND
REHABILITATION CENTER TOPS
THE LIST IN CENTRAL TEXAS WITH 8
VIOLATIONS. IN
APRIL, INSPECTORS NOTED "THE
FACILITY FAILED
TO ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN AN
INFECTION CONTROL
PROGRAM," AND, "THE FACILITY DID
NOT KEEP A RESIDENT APART
FROM THE OTHERS IF THE RESIDENT
HAS AN INFECTION
THAT CAN SPREAD." THE KVUE
DEFENDERS
REPORTED BACK IN THE SPRING HOW
FAMILY MEMBERS WERE
CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF
THEIR LOVED
ONES IN WEST OAKS WHEN CONFIRMED
CASES OF
COVID-19 IN THE FACILITY FIRST
SURFACED.
IT'S A SERIOUS PROBLEM,
PARTICULARLY WHEN WE THINK
ABOUT A VIRUS LIKE COVID THAT
HAS SUCH A HIGH MORTALITY
RATE FOR THIS THIS DEMOGRAPHIC.
RIVERSIDE HERE IN AUSTIN. WHERE
CISSY'S MOM LIVES.
HAS HAD THREE VIOLATIONS. BACK
IN APRIL, INSPECTORS
NOTED, "THE FACILITY FAILED TO
HAVE AN INFECTION
CONTROL PROGRAM THAT ALLOWS IT
TO INVESTIGATE,
CONTROL AND PREVENT INFECTIONS,"
AND, "THE
FACILITY FAILED TO HAVE AND
IMPLEMENT WRITTEN
POLICIES FOR INFECTION CONTROL."
IN A STATEMENT, A SPOKESPERSON
FROM THE
COMPANY THAT RUNS BOTH RIVERSIDE
AND WEST OAKS
SAID, "WE ARE CURRENTLY
REVIEWING THE INFORMATION
FOUND IN THE DATABASE. IN MARCH,
ALL OF OUR FACILITIES
IMPLEMENTED ENHANCED INFECTION
CONTROL
PROTOCOLS THAT HAVE CONSISTENTLY
BEEN UPDATED
AS NEW GUIDELINES FROM FEDERAL,
STATE, AND
LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES
CHANGE."
DO YOU THINK THAT THERE IS A
CORRELATION HERE BETWEEN
SO MANY INFECTION CONTROL
VIOLATIONS AND
HOW QUICKLY THE VIRUS SPREAD
THROUGH AND
KILLED INSIDE THESE SAME
FACILITIES?
ABSOLUTELY.
FACILITIES? ABSOLUTELY. ADVOCATES LIKE FREDRIKSEN WANT
LAWMAKERS TO
STEP IN.
DISTRICT
WHEN THERE ARE REPEATED
VIOLATIONS AND THE
GOVERNMENT HASN'T ACTED, THE
REGULATORY
AUTHORITY, INCLUDING THE STATE
OF TEXAS, IS NOT DOING
ITS JOB.
CONGRESSMAN LLOYD DOGGETT SAYS
HE'S DRAFTING NEW
LEGILATION, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE
MONTHLY
REPORTS FROM THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT ON INFECTION
CONTROL VIOLATIONS IN NURSING
HOMES. IT
WOULD ALSO CALL FOR AN
INDEPENDENT GROUP TO LOOK
AT THE DATA AND MAKE POLICY
RECOMMENDATIONS.
THIS WAS A PROBLEM BEFORE THE
PANDEMIC, BUT
WITH THE PANDEMIC, LIKE
EVERYTHING ELSE, IT JUST
RAISES THE DANGER IMMENSELY AND
IT ALLOWS THE
TRANSMISSION OF DISEASE FROM ONE
PERSON TO THE
OTHER. WE ALSO ASKED THE TEXAS
HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES COMMISSION FOR A
COMMENT. A
SPOKESPERSON TOLD US THEY'RE
INVESTIGATING
ALL LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES
WITH COVID-19.
THEY'RE REVIEWING INFECTION
CONTROL AND
OTHER HEALTH PRACTICES, MAKING
RECOMMENDATI
ONS, IMPOSING CITATIONS IF
NECESSARY, AND REQUIRING
FACILITIES TO COMPLY WITH HEALTH
AND SAFETY
REQUIREMENTS.
THIS IS A REQUIREMENT FOR PUBLIC
HEALTH AND
ELECTED OFFICIALS TO. TAKE
WHATEVER NECESSARY
STEPS. TO MAKE SURE THAT NURSING
HOME RESIDENTS AND
STAFF DO NOT DIE AGAIN.
R
CONGRESSMAN DOGGETT SAYS HE
INTENDS TO HAVE THAT
FEDERAL LEGISLATION FILED BY
JANUARY. WE'LL
KEEP YOU POSTED.
MEANWHILE, WE MADE IT EASY FOR
YOU TO CHECK
WHETHER YOUR LOVED ONE'S NURSING
HOME OR ASSISTED
LIVING FACILITY HAS VIOLATED
INFECTION CONTROL
STANDARDS DURING THE PANDEMIC.
JUST GO TO THIS STORY ON
KVUE-DOT-COM-SLASH-
DEFENDERS. AND LOOK AT THE DATA
WE OBTAINED FROM
THE STATE.
IN AUSTIN, FOR THE KVUE
DEFENDERS, I'M BRAD
STREICHER, KVUE NEWS.
DEFENDERS, I'M BRAD STREICHER, KVUE NEWS.
KVUE NEWS.