\n\n“Less than 1% of Americans reside in long-term care facilities \u2014 a category that includes nursing homes and assisted living residences \u2014 but these facilities account for around 40% of the country\u2019s COVID-19 deaths.”
…
“Gov. Andrew Cuomo has boasted about the relatively low death toll in the state\u2019s nursing homes, despite the fact that no other state counts these deaths as New York does. As of mid-November, there have been more than 6,619 virus-related deaths within the state\u2019s nursing homes and 179 in its adult care facilities, according to official data. Bronxwood, however, has never appeared in that tally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe public list is incomplete and misleading,\u201d said Geoff Lieberman, the executive director of the Coalition of Institutionalized Aged and Disabled, an organization that advocates on behalf of adult home residents in New York City. \u201cEither everyone at Bronxwood died at the hospital, or the information isn\u2019t being accurately reported.\u201d Before the August hearing, Lieberman and his colleagues at CIAD interviewed residents at 28 adult homes in New York City, including Bronxwood, and tallied around 250 deaths from their accounts \u2014 a stark contrast to the 53 deaths that facilities had self-reported to the state. Bronxwood employees likewise sounded the alarm: In April, six staff members told local news that by their count more than a dozen residents had died.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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“People talked about leaving Bronxwood almost as soon as they arrived, but the truth was that they were there because they had nowhere else to go. The elderly are typically steered to places like Bronxwood after a stay in the hospital. They have taken a fall or needed a surgery, and while they\u2019re recovering, lose their apartment. Others, like Glenda, are recommended by a caseworker at a shelter. It\u2019s not uncommon for such homes to hire recruiters to help fill their beds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While many assisted living facilities cater to a wealthy clientele, who pay out of pocket, Bronxwood primarily serves low-income seniors. (It is, technically speaking, an adult home with an assisted living program.) Most residents sign over their supplemental security income to pay for the room and board \u2014 and out of that sum the facility gives them a $207 \u201cpersonal needs allowance\u201d each month. The money runs out quickly, since it often goes toward phone bills, toiletries, transportation and more nutritious food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Out of Bronxwood\u2019s 270 or so residents, more than half are enrolled in its assisted living program, whose costs are covered by Medicaid. In theory, the program offers an extra level of care to those who need it. In practice, it functions as a \u201chuge financial boon\u201d to the adult home industry, said Tanya Kessler, a senior staff attorney with Mobilization for Justice, a legal services organization. Bronxwood can charge Medicaid between $78 and $154 per enrolled resident each day, depending on his or her needs. But Kessler said there\u2019s little oversight into whether this additional funding results in additional care. Bruno, the spokesman, said that the Health Department conducts regular inspections of assisted living programs \u201cto ensure all applicable laws, regulations and guidelines are being followed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Healthier residents at Bronxwood told me that they seemed to be roomed with those who were more infirm, effectively placing them in the role of an extra aide. \u201cOne of the big complaints we hear is, \u2018I\u2019m not well myself, but they put this person in here that they expect me to look after,\u2019\u201d said Sherletta McCaskill, who, as the training director of CIAD, helps adult home residents organize councils and independent living classes. \u201cIt speaks to the lack of services that these homes are providing.\u201d The most recent audit by New York\u2019s Office of the Medicaid Inspector General found that Bronxwood had overbilled Medicaid by $4.4 million in 2006 and 2007. (Bronxwood requested an administrative hearing to challenge the findings, according to an OMIG spokesperson; the date is pending.)”<\/p>\n\n\n\n