Florida Assisted Living Watchdog Claims He Was Fired for Doing His Job
A member of a volunteer state-sponsored ombudsman program that is supposed to oversee Florida assisted-living facilities claims he was fired for doing his job. This is the latest in an unfolding scandal in Florida that has revealed how state oversight of assisted-living facilities is undermined by politics and industry influence.
74-year-old Bill Hearne is a volunteer inspector for Florida's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, which inspects assisted-living facilities and advocates for residents' rights. However, Hearne claims he and other inspectors who are serious about fixing problems of abuse, neglect, and filthy conditions are being forced out because their bosses in the state government are too cozy with the nursing home and assisted living industry it is supposed to be supervising.
The alleged purge comes in the wake of a series of stories in the Miami Herald which reported on widespread neglect and abuse in Florida assisted-living facilities. Following this, the state's top ombudsman changed procedures for inspecting nursing homes, only allowing inspectors to talk to residents but not allowing them to inspect facilities. This led Hearne and others to speak out against the changes and they were then fired as a result.
