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La. Begins Probe into 14 Nursing Home Deaths
By Thomas Frank, USA Today
USA
September 20, 2005
The Louisiana attorney general launched an investigation Monday into 14 deaths at a New Orleans nursing home that happened after the elderly patients were not evacuated for Hurricane Katrina.
Attorney General Charles Foti's office has been besieged with complaints about patients being left at medical facilities during the hurricane or receiving shoddy treatment, said Kris Wartelle, a spokeswoman for Foti. She said state investigators are checking additional reports of patients and residents who died at 20 to 30 other hospitals and nursing homes. The nursing home under investigation was identified as Lafon Nursing Facility of the Holy Family in New Orleans. The home's operators - a team of nuns and nurses - told The New York Times last week that patients were moved to the second floor and given care throughout the hurricane.
Wartelle said Foti's office is "close" to beginning probes into two hospitals where numerous other patients died.
She identified them as Memorial Medical Center and Lindy Boggs Medical Center, both in New Orleans.
Wartelle said there was a "pretty strong" likelihood that the two hospitals would be investigated.
Informal inquiries will be made to see whether complaints can be verified before starting a full probe and gathering documents, witnesses and other evidence that could support criminal charges, Wartelle said.
Foti is hiring additional investigators to look into the complaints made at hospitals and nursing homes.
His office disclosed the latest investigation six days after charging Salvatore and Mable Mangano, owners of St. Rita's Nursing Home near New Orleans, with negligent homicide in the deaths of 34 people who were left in the home despite evacuation orders.
Foti said he is planning to write a report when investigations are finished "on how things should be changed for a disaster in the future" and recommend possible changes in evacuation policies for medical facilities.
Foti said most of the 9,000 to 10,000 nursing home residents in the hurricane's path were evacuated without any problem.
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