Does Your Nursing Home Hire Criminals? Chances Are Pretty Good It Does!
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In a recent New York Times' article, Robert Pear writes about a disturbing fact: More than 90% of nursing homes in the United States "employ one or more people who have been convicted of at least one crime." Frankly, I find that disconcerting.
Mr. Pear's story is based upon a report issued by Daniel R. Levinson, inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, who obtained the names of more than 35,000 nursing home employees and then checked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to see if they had criminal records.According to Mr. Levinson: “Our analysis of F.B.I. criminal history records revealed that 92 percent of nursing facilities employed at least one individual with at least one criminal conviction.” He went on to say: “Nearly half of nursing facilities employed five or more individuals with at least one conviction. For example, a nursing facility with a total of 164 employees had 34 employees with at least one conviction each.
The rules that govern Idaho nursing homes and assisted living facilities require criminal background checks be performed. There are also certain "disqualifying crimes" which prohibit a person from working in a nursing home such as abuse or neglect of a vulnerable adult, among many others. Although the potential employee must "self-report" any criminal convictions, they must also provide finger prints for their criminal background investigation.
No system is fool-proof, however. Make sure to report any suspicious activity to your nursing home or assisted living facility. As the Department of Health and Human Services' survey reveals, nursing homes and assisted living facilities are hiding a "dirty little secret": they employ some unsavory characters.
