Details about this story

• Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
• Date: July 27, 2008
• URL: Read the story
• Bylines: Ben Poston , Mary Zahn
• Topics: Nursing Homes
• Data Types: State Data
• Description/Excerpt: Dozens of nursing homes in Wisconsin have been cited for improper care after the deaths of 56 residents since 2005 - a period marked by a dramatic surge in serious violations around the state, a Journal Sentinel investigation found. The Journal Sentinel built a database from thousands of pages of nursing home regulatory records over the past 3 1/2 years. Among the findings: Health care violations that put patients in jeopardy or resulted in harm spiked 34% the past three years. Those violations involved injuries to at least 359 elderly or disabled people. Dozens of homes are cited repeatedly for serious violations. Often, these homes assure regulators they are correcting problems only to have new ones surface. Many of the homes cited multiple times are owned by out-of-state corporations. Deaths and injuries are occurring at a time of significant worker turnover. In one case, a problem home reported nursing staff turnover rates as high as 257% last year while it led the state in serious citations.
• Methodology: See explainer
• Database or Graphic: Go to site (aspx?id=770326)