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State Auditor Rob Sand recently did what no statewide elected official in Iowa has done in a long time – he brought attention to problems in nursing homes.
A report from his office discussed the lack of timely nursing home inspections by the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) and the staff shortages that impact the quality of nursing home care.
DIAL and the nursing home industry immediately dismissed the report’s data and conclusions. They want us to believe one of two things: that there are no problems with nursing home inspections or staffing, or if there are, improvements are being made. Could there be a third choice – that Sand’s report hit an exposed nerve?
We believe the third – Sand’s report provided a window into vexing concerns about Iowa nursing homes and the apparent lack of meaningful state government oversight of the money that flows to the industry, the inspection process, and the historic inability to recruit and retain sufficient nursing home staff.