Connecticut Governor Announces $2M Health Care Grant
The Governor of Connecticut has announced that the state received $2 million in federal funding for health care to develop a new way to conduct background checks for nursing home employees. Connecticut is reportedly one of six states to receive the federal grant through the Affordable Care Act. According to the report, the new background checks will allow employers to determine if a potential employee has any previous criminal charges or any other information that may disqualify them from employment.
This new program for improving background checks will continue through 2012. The background checks will include searches from state and federal criminal records, registries of abuse and neglect cases, and other databases, according to the report. A number of long-term care facilities are to be covered under this new program including nursing homes, home-health agencies, hospice and long-term care hospitals, and intermediate care facilities.
While developing and employing a program for improved background checks is a good idea on paper, it fails to take into account the abuse and neglect cases that go unreported to authorities. Unfortunately, there are thousands of cases of elder abuse and neglect that are not reported for various reasons. As a result, the perpetrators in those cases may not be held responsible, and therefore may not be convicted. If their record shows no prior criminal history, they could easily be given employment in a nursing home or assisted living center, and potentially put your loved ones in danger.
