County Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Kathryn Barger this week asked their colleagues to approve the creation of an inspector general position to oversee skilled nursing facilities, which account for more than half of the county’s deaths from COVID-19.
The motion also calls for the county auditor-controller to ensure closer monitoring of skilled nursing facilities immediately. The inspector general would be tasked with developing recommendations on how to strengthen oversight for skilled nursing facilities and how to improve their operations long-term, according to the supervisors.
Ridley-Thomas and Barger asserted that many skilled nursing homes get low marks for quality of care, patient satisfaction and employee pay.
“While some skilled nursing homes may be doing their best to respond to COVID-19, we’ve seen hundreds of deaths at these facilities, tragically exposing the urgent need for stronger oversight across the industry,” Ridley-Thomas said. “Now, more than ever, we must act to address any questionable operations and substandard conditions in the facilities that care for some of our most vulnerable residents-the elderly, the low-income and the disabled.”
Barger added: “Skilled nursing facilities provide critical care and support for many of our most vulnerable populations. As the county fights the COVID-19 public health crisis, we must greatly improve our ability to assess and oversee these facilities to ensure the safety and well-being of all those who have been entrusted to their care.”
Skilled nursing facilities, which serve thousands of residents who tend to be older and medically fragile, have become the epicenter of L.A. County’s COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 18, 4,794 residents and 2,918 staff from these facilities had tested positive for the virus. Across L.A. County, 52 percent of all deaths from COVID-19 have been in institutional settings, particularly in skilled nursing facilities.
The county Department of Health Services director, Dr. Christina Ghaly, said, “It is our collective responsibility to protect and support the most vulnerable among us. Prioritizing the health and safety of those in our county’s skilled nursing facilities is the right thing to do and will also help protect the availability of hospital resources for all those who need them.”
The Ridley-Thomas/Barger motion says it is “critical that L.A. County learn the lessons of this crisis; identify the internal and external factors that have contributed to inadequate conditions within skilled nursing facilities; and provide oversight, accountability and resources as needed.”
They described the proposed inspector general as a “much-needed accountability measure” appointed to conduct an exhaustive review of the county’s capacity to regulate skilled nursing facilities, recommend structural and operational changes, and outline a plan for ensuring adequate and sustainable oversight.
