Sen. Bill Nelson sent the following letter today to HHS Sec. Price and CMS Admin. Verma following the death of eight seniors at a nursing home in Hollywood, Florida yesterday.
Following is the text of the letter sent to HHS:
September 14, 2017
The Honorable Tom Price
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, D.C. 20201
The Honorable Seema Verma
Administrator
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 445-G
Washington D.C. 20201
Dear Secretary Price and Administrator Verma,
In response to yesterday’s disturbing news that at least eight seniors in Florida died in a nursing home with no air conditioning, I am writing to urge you to take steps to prevent similar tragedies as the state recovers from Hurricane Irma and future natural disasters.
The 152-bed facility located in Hollywood, Florida received a below average rating on a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website responsible for rating facility quality, with its health inspection rated as “much below average.” Notably, a March 2017 health inspection found 11 deficiencies at the facility, well above the national average. Likewise, Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration has given this facility a ranking of one star—its lowest ranking—for the facility’s overall inspection, the quality of care provided, and the quality of life of its patients.
Further reports indicate that the facility had a generator, but it is unclear whether it was working during Hurricane Irma. Records from a 2016 unannounced recertification survey indicate that the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills had a temporary generator that failed to meet code requirements. Specifically, the nursing home had no “written documentation to substantiate the emergency generator…had been replaced nor had plans for a permanent generator installation been submitted as required by the letter from Office of Plans and Construction.” While the facility responded by submitting a correction plan and allegedly planned to obtain a permanent generator, it is unclear whether they in fact did so.
As I mentioned to Secretary Price on the phone, I am even more troubled that there was a functioning hospital across the street from the nursing home, and yet these residents remained trapped in extreme temperatures for multiple days.
Seniors in nursing homes are among the most vulnerable and depend on facility staff for care and protection. Failure to transfer them to a hospital some fifty yards away is unforgivable. Moreover, this facility has a history of higher than average deficiencies, below average ratings, and inadequate emergency preparedness plans.
I urge you to hold those responsible for the deaths at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills accountable and ensure that sufficient safeguards are in place to prevent a similar tragedy from happening in the future.
Thank you for your attention to this issue. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
