On Friday, some lawmakers called for the inspection of a Windham nursing home.
Vanderman Place is owned by JACC Healthcare which also owns Three Rivers in Norwich.
Days ago, the Department of Public Health (DPH) ordered all residents to be removed from Three Rivers after an investigation into a deadly COVID-19 outbreak and an ensuing report of serious violations in infection control measures.
“It’s a resident safety issue. We want to make sure the residents are safe. What happened in Norwich is unacceptable,” said Sen. Catherine Osten, D-Sprague.
Osten and five other lawmakers want DPH to look at Vanderman Place for staffing levels, the use of PPE, employee sick policies, cleaning routines, and other COVID-19 related matters. She says they’ve contacted staff at Vanderman Place and are unsettled about what they learned.
“They indicated that there were times, many times during a week’s time frame that they only had one or two CNAs for 50 or 60 patients. That’s unacceptable,” said Osten.
In response to lawmakers’ call for an investigation of the facility, DPH told NBC Connecticut, “as with all Long Term Care Facilities, the Department of Public Health remains in close contact and makes site visits on a regular basis to facilities across the state.”
Local
Online documents show DPH completed two COVID-19 focused surveys of Vanderman Place, one in April, the other in May. Both reported there were no deficiencies cited.
When announcing the shutdown of Three Rivers on Wednesday, DPH was asked if they were looking into the Windham facility. Acting Commissioner Deidre Gifford said they don’t typically talk about what they might or might not look at.
“Of course we want to make sure that the facility they’re operating in Connecticut is safe, so the department will take the appropriate action to do so,” said Gifford.
NBC Connecticut did reach out to JACC Healthcare for comment several times but have not yet heard back.
