18 Healthcare Workers Arrested After Patient Dies From Severe Neglect at Virginia Nursing Facility

Eighteen healthcare workers were arrested yesterday at Colonial Heights Rehab and Nursing Center in Virginia, a skilled nursing facility. State authorities arrived following the death of a 74-year-old resident with diabetes and cerebral palsy.

The charges include:
• 7 felony counts of abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult
• 2 misdemeanor counts of abuse and neglect
• 2 counts of obstruction
• 27 counts of falsifying patient records

Investigators say the patient was left in bed for days, soaked in urine and feces, without being repositioned or cleaned. She developed severe wounds, including genital injuries so serious that staff initially suspected sexual assault. She was transferred to the hospital and later died from sepsis.

Utterly unacceptable. Severe bedsores do not happen overnight. This was repeated neglect. Abuse. A preventable death. Every single person responsible must be held to account.