A nursing home owner's seven licenses are being revoked after Louisiana health officials said that the suspect, Bob Dean, evacuated more than 800 nursing residents to a warehouse in Tangipahoa Parish for Hurricane Ida, which later resulted in the death of at least four.
The victims allegedly died after living conditions in the warehouse worsened over a period of days as the storm passed through the region. The announcement by the Louisiana Department of Health came only three days after they ordered the immediate but temporary closure of the suspect's nursing homes.
Gruesome Living Conditions
On Tuesday, the department also said it would be terminating Medicaid provider agreements that Dean's nursing homes had. Authorities noted that residents were clothed with various states of dress and were piled together on cots or floor mattresses.
"The buildings were beginning to smell strongly of urine and dampness, masking was all but eliminated among the residents, and temperatures were beginning to rise; however, still no request came from the facility or site," the health department said, NOLA reported.
After an Aug. 30 visit, the department said the staff from the facility themselves understood the gruesome living conditions, arguing they, and residents, were being neglected. In a Tuesday phone interview, Dean revealed he planned to sell off all seven of his nursing homes because he expected them to be closed down after a month.
More lives were lost after nursing residents were evacuated to the Waterbury Cos. warehouse after state health officials were denied entry to inspect the area the day after Hurricane Ida. In a Tuesday statement, the department also said its team members were intimidated.
The state health department said two in-person site visits at the warehouse were conducted before the storm and showed that the warehouse was able to shelter residents for a short time. They noted there were plans for staffing, food service, and laundry, potable water, portable toilets, and a working generator, WDSU reported.
Emergency 911 Calls
The situation comes after 911 calls were made from the warehouse, which depicts a chaotic scene, as shown in logs of calls. At least 30 calls were made requesting assistance for the deplorable living conditions that residents were subject to in the facility. Some individuals were reported to have suffered from heart attacks and seizures as some residents were unresponsive and stopped breathing.
State health officials reported that at least seven nursing home residents lost their lives due to the conditions. The majority of the calls reported medical emergencies, with one saying a diabetic patient was in a dire state after not being able to eat at the facility due to scarce supply.
Another dispatcher received a call on Aug. 28 where the resident said she thought she was kidnapped. The log stated that the caller was a senior citizen who reported the conditions at the facility were "horrible." The resident, Debbie Strickland, a 66-year-old senior citizen, was refused by staff to use her wheelchair inside the facility. She added they would not help her get out of bed, CNN reported.
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