"Michigan Probe Leads to Nursing Home Arrests"
April 13, 2006
In May 2005, the State of Michigan launched efforts to conduct criminal backgrounds checks of nursing home employees throughout the state. The goal is to ferret out those with criminal backgrounds that disqualify them from their jobs. So far, this investigation has led to 24 warrants and seven arrests of nursing home employees caught falsifying their job applications.
This initiative was prompted by the state’s discovery that 25 percent of all nursing home workers who committed crimes against residents since 2002 had previous criminal convictions. This same study also found that of the 5,500 state nursing home workers evaluated, nearly ten percent had outstanding criminal warrants and three percent had criminal convictions, which should have prohibited their hire with the nursing home facility.
Of the seven individuals arrests as a result of this probe, six are accused of providing false information about their criminal past when they applied for their current position with a nursing home facility. These nursing home workers face three months in jail and/or a fine of $500 if they are convicted.
The seventh individual faces felony charges of altering police records she presented to her employer upon hire. This individual faces 14 years in prison if convicted.
In a public statement, Attorney General Mike Cox said, “Placing a loved one in a nursing facility requires a great commitment of trust. It’s imperative that that trust not be breached by employees who falsify their backgrounds for their own gain.”
Cox also warned all nursing home facilities across the state to be on alert for employees or applicants who have falsified their identities or criminal backgrounds.
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