Over 90% of Nursing Homes Hire Employees with Criminal Convictions
By Meyerkord & Meyerkord
Mar. 11, 2011 4:18p
A Government study revealed that a whopping 92 percent of nursing homes hired at least one employee with a criminal conviction. The report was conducted by the Inspector General for Health and Human Services, which went on to say that nearly half of the nursing homes in the country employ “five or more individuals” with a criminal background.
The picture gets even grimmer; investigators found seven different registered sex offenders were employed in five different nursing homes. The majority of criminal convictions were for property crimes such as burglary, shoplifting and writing bad checks. Although it’s more “comforting” that a majority of these criminals employed in nursing homes are not registered sex offenders, it doesn’t help the fact that these convicted criminals are guilty of crimes that are typically executed against vulnerable and helpless elderly patients. Common crimes against elderly patients in nursing homes include property theft, forgery, check fraud, credit card theft, robbery and other theft crimes. If your loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact a personal injury attorney today.
Inept Criminal Background Checks
Presently, forty-three states require nursing homes to conduct a criminal background check; however, only ten states require both a state and an FBI background check, which would turn up any convictions in other states. The problem is, convicts can move from state to state, and even if they have an abuse record at another health care facility; unless their new place of employment runs an FBI check, it would not necessarily come up. Ideally, nursing homes would prefer to see a national mandatory program, which the government would fund the cost of running national background checks.
According to Wells at The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long Term Care, if a nursing home facility is not looking across state lines, it will not pick up criminal convictions from other states. When looking for a nursing facility for your loved one, it is advised to ask, if they run fingerprints against criminal databases.
Nursing Home Abuse Attorney in St. Louis
Due to the overwhelming concern with nursing home abuse and cover ups, if you suspect that your loved one has been a victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, it is essential that you contact a St. Louis nursing home abuse lawyer at Meyerkord & Meyerkord, LLC today for help.
Contact a St. Louis nursing home abuse attorney from our firm today for a free initial consultation.