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NBS News reported that more than a dozen nursing home employees at Colonial Heights nursing home were denied bail by the local judge. The employees were arrested on December 18, 2024, for alleged elder neglect and abuse.
The case arises out of an Oct. 5 investigation by the Virginia Department of Health after a patient who had filed a complaint died weeks after being discharged.
Harris, along with 4 others, were among the five employees arrested at the nursing home on Wednesday. Thirteen others were issued outstanding warrants following an investigation, with most of them arrested by Thursday, Dec. 19, according to police. Most employees were charged with misdemeanors, like falsifying patient records.
A statement sent to 8News by the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Licensure and Certification reads, in part:
“Nursing home facilities and staff are also mandated reporters, per federal and state requirements,” the office said. “VDH has been cooperating and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement on the current investigation of Colonial Heights Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.”
Those who have already been arraigned will be back in court for their next hearing on March 26.
It’s a rare event that nursing home staff are criminally charged, explains Virginia Nursing Home attorney Jeffrey J. Downey. One staff member was actually charged with felony abuse and neglect resulting in death. I suspect the charges related to record falsification involved attempts to cover up what actually occurred at the facility, explains Downey. It’s not unusual to see nursing homes engage in false or inadequate documentation explains Downey, but this is the first time that I have ever seen it prosecuted as a crime. Maybe if our criminal justice system took elder neglect more seriously, we would see some improvement in our long term care system.
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