Is the Legal Bill Coming Due Over California’s Nursing Home COVID Deaths?

Several U.S. Governors ordered COVID-19 patients into nursing homes during the pandemic in 2020. But it was only Democrat governors in blue states: Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania, and California’s Governor Gavin Newsom.

The result was deadly for thousands of vulnerable, elderly nursing home patients in these Democrat-run states.

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In California, the California Department of Public Health was directing skilled nursing facilities to take in COVID-19 patients, but at what cost and why with plenty of hospital beds available?

Several months later, and after numerous news articles about this atrocity, the Globe reported that the U.S. Department of Justice initiated an investigation into these odd orders, but did not include California in its investigation. “Then U.S. Justice Department announced in August 2020 it was considering investigating whether four states led by Democratic governors violated the civil rights of the elderly by requiring nursing homes to admit coronavirus patients, a practice which critics say led to thousands of deaths.”

Finally, in April 2021, Republican members of the U.S. House Oversight Committee announced they were investigating five Democratic governors for their decision to mandate nursing homes to take untested, if not COVID-19 positive, patients during the pandemic, and Gov. Gavin Newsom is one of those being investigated.”

We never did learn why these five Democrat governors issued the medically deadly orders.

The Gateway Pundit just reported, “New Jersey will pay out $53 million to settle claims that the state’s negligence contributed to the deaths of more than 100 veterans at state-run homes during the coronavirus pandemic.”

However, GP also reports that the Biden DOJ has dropped the investigation into the governors.

“A 2020 study revealed 45% of all US coronavirus deaths occurred in nursing homes,” Gateway Pundit reported. The study was updated seven times since originally being published in May 2020. “Only 0.6% of the US population lives in nursing homes but over 45% of the coronavirus deaths were in these centers.”

On April 2, 2020, the Globe originally reported that Gov. Newsom’s Department of Public Health actually suspended nursing home relegations, and issued a new directive. Article 6 of the March 30th directive clearly allowed COVID-19 patients to be housed in nursing homes and skilled nursing care facilities, despite reports of nursing home infections, and death surges amid lockdown measures. In San Bernardino County, CBS News reported “Dozens of residents of California nursing home hit with COVID-19 and several died.”

At the time, California Globe contacted the Department of Public Health and specifically asked, “Is the CDPH suspending the very regulations that keep patients safe from abuse and incompetence?” and “Does this mean COVID-19 patients may be sent to nursing facilities?”

The April 1, 2020 directive said: “Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 can be discharged to a Skilled Nursing Facility when clinically indicated.”

While the Public health department did respond to some of our questions, they did not answer our very specific question: “Does this mean COVID-19 patients may be sent to nursing facilities?”

The April 1 directive states only “Patients with no clinical concern for COVID-19 may be transferred from hospitals to SNFs following usual procedures.”

However, the bottom line is that the California Department of Public Health directed skilled nursing facilities to be prepared to take in COVID-19 patients, but at what cost? CDPH acknowledged that the elderly patients already in skilled nursing facilities are “California’s most vulnerable,” so why would they send any COVID-19 patients to facilities with the most frail and vulnerable patients?

Back in August 2020, the Globe reported:

“We’ve learned that COVID patients are worth $800 per day, compared to the $200 per day for long-term patients with mild health concerns or dementia. It is not a stretch to see that COVID patients are a money maker for nursing homes.”

“With coordinated news reports curiously now claiming there will be another spike in COVID, what better way to ensure the spiked numbers than by sending COVID patients into nursing homes? It’s a death sentence to the elderly.”

With the Biden administration dropping the DOJ investigation into the five Democrat governors, perhaps members of the California Legislature can intervene. Perhaps California’s elected County District Attorneys can get involved in investigations.

Or maybe this is a civil matter for the families of the dead. However this is legally adjudicated, these cases need to see a courtroom.