NewsChannel 5 Investigates: State Veterans Homes Face New Neglect Allegations

August 10, 2006
Newschannel5.com

There are new problems for the state of Tennessee’s two nursing homes for veterans, and lawmakers are demanding that the governor do something about it.

The problems were first exposed by a NewsChannel 5 investigation, and despite our findings, a new inspection has discovered that veterans still aren't getting the treatment they deserve.

In June, state inspectors found critical safety violations at the Tennessee state veterans home in Murfreesboro. Now, the state has banned the other state-run nursing home in Humboldt from taking any new residents after inspectors found serious problems during a routine inspection last week.

The state health department says the violations it found put veterans' lives in immediate jeopardy. It also says staff misappropriated medication that was meant patients, failed to follow doctor's orders and failed to notify doctors of changes in residents' conditions, which led to overall resident neglect.

The problems were found at the west Tennessee facility less than a week after the head of the state veterans' home board promised state lawmakers they had nothing to worry about.

“Abuse and neglect is not tolerated, nor will it ever be,” said Rod Wolfe of the Tennessee State Veterans Home Board. “When problems arise they are addressed immediately.”

Senator Mark Norris, D-Collierville, says he was shocked to hear of the latest problems at a state-run nursing home. He has sent a blunt and direct letter to Governor Bredesen demanding "an immediate explanation" and "plan of action" to stop the problems, calling them "disgraceful" and intolerable."

“We left feeling a sense of assurance that these problems would not occur again and in fact they have. I'm very concerned and ashamed for our state veterans and the state of Tennessee. I want this addressed and fixed,” Sen. Norris said.

Norris says problems at the state-run nursing homes have gone on too long, and the Humboldt home has been cited repeatedly for putting residents' lives in jeopardy.

“Certainly any facility that has had three immediate jeopardies within a two-year period, it does get our attention and certainly we do look at these facilities very closely,” said Judy Eads of the Tennessee State Health Department.

Our investigation revealed the Humboldt home has been cited four times in the last five years for putting veterans' lives in danger. The state has now given the facility until next week to come up with a plan on how it will fix these latest problems. In the meantime, the nursing home will be fined $3,000 a day.

A third state-run facility is supposed to open in Knoxville this fall. Senator Norris said he's not sure that's such a good idea, and that if the state can't run two nursing homes, there's no point in trying to run a third.