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USA Calls On Wishard CEO To Meet About Nursing Home Issues

INDIANAPOLIS

Members of United Senior Action held a news conference Monday, May 10th calling on the president and CEO of Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County Matthew Gutwein to meet with the organization to discuss concerns raised about care in the more than three dozen nursing homes owned by the municipal corporation. The corporation also operates Wishard Hospital.

“Two months ago to this very date, we wrote Mr. Gutwein explaining our concerns and requesting a meeting,” said Michelle Niemier, executive director of the statewide senior advocacy organization. “Our request was ignored. So, this morning we are here outside Wishard Hospital to draw attention to the issue.”

This hospital is seen as a leading provider of excellent care not only in the state of Indiana but in the country. Health and Hospital is proud of the care people receive here. Apparently, the same is not true of the 37 nursing homes throughout the state that Health and Hospital owns.”

In 2003, Health and Hospital began purchasing nursing homes throughout the state. Now, Health and Hospital owns more than three dozen including a majority not in Marion County, the county it was established to serve. Through an exclusive contract, Health and Hospital pays American Senior Communities to actually run the homes.

Until Health and Hospital decided to begin raising public support for building a new Wishard hospital, the public had little to no idea that they also owned nursing homes in Marion County let alone counties throughout the state. “You won’t even find their name on the sign outside any of their homes,” said Niemier.

A key to the new hospital’s funding is the millions of dollars leveraged by using higher nursing home reimbursement rates available only to government owners. This raises serious concerns when there are nursing home residents not receiving good care.

The organization’s concerns are outlined in “Broken Trust: Wishard Hospital Owner Rakes in the Cash While Nursing Home Residents Suffer” the new report issued today by United Senior Action. This report comes twenty-four hours after the Indianapolis Star featured the same issue in its Sunday edition.

Family members also shared accounts of their personal experiences when loved ones trusted their care to homes owned by Health and Hospital.

“Our request is simple: Mr. Gutwein, meet with us to hear the concerns of hundreds of families, then tell us and the public how you plan to protect those residents and the Wishard name.”

USA Celebrates 30th Birthday in a Big Way

INDIANAPOLIS

More than 100 guests came out April 30th to celebrate United Senior Action's three decades of work on behalf of Indiana seniors and their families. The birthday party and annual auction featured dinner and both a silent and live auction.

A list of our contributors along with photos will be available on this website soon. In the meantime, our thanks to all who made the evening a splendid success.

End The Shame Campaign Calls for Major Changes to Nursing Home Care

INDIANAPOLIS

More information about United Senior Action's current efforts to address the abysmal quality in far too many Indiana nursing homes will be uploaded soon.

USA's End The Shame Campaign calls for the obvious: 1) Put residents first; 2) Demand good care; and 3) Punish abuse and neglect.

To learn how you can get involved, call United Senior Action at 1-800-495-0872 or email USA at info@usaindiana.org.

Free Caregiver CD Available

The United Senior Action Foundation has released a free guide to help family caregivers navigate the challenging waters of long term care. Entitled, "Caregiver Digest: A Guide to Indiana Long Term Care Resources," it was developed with funding support from CICOA Aging & In-Home Solutions. It is available on this website (see link on the left) and on a compact disc (CD) available by contacting United Senior Action.