Henderson County (Jun 11, 2021) - North Carolina Health News In 2004, two weeks after her high school graduation, Brittany Stone was driving to pick up her younger sister from vacation Bible school during a storm. She hit a pothole and lost control of her vehicle. In the accident, she suffered a traumatic brain injury.
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Shari Webb (left) and Rholanda Artis (right), both employees at the Whittecar Group Home, share a moment with residents Brittany Stone and Mike Johnson. Photo credit: Mona Dougani
In 2004, two weeks after her high school graduation, Brittany Stone was driving to pick up her younger sister from vacation Bible school during a storm. She hit a pothole and lost control of her vehicle. In the accident, she suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Seventeen years later, Stone has landed a place at Whittecar Group Home in Raleigh, where she and five other residents get the help they need to live their lives. For the most part residents at the group home can take care of their basic needs, but Stone, for example, has trouble washing her back and hair because of tremors. She uses a walker to get around, but she does chores around the house. She canât drive or run to the store independently.
A WCNC Charlotte investigation revealed nursing homes that were fined thousands of dollars after deadly COVID-19 infections spread within their walls also collected government bonuses that, in most cases, offset their original penalties.
WCNC Charlotte s analysis of twosets of federal data identified more than 100 nursing homes in the Carolinas that collected federal incentive payments despite infection control and COVID-19-related penalties, receiving a combined $10 million more in bonuses than penalties.
More than 80% of those nursing homes also had at least one resident die from COVID-19 since March 2020, according to an analysis of Pro Publica s Nursing Home Inspect database.
WHO GOT PAID:
Millions of dollars are set aside to improve the lives of nursing home residents in North Carolina but the money can t be used to help offset some of facilities greatest issues, including COVID-19.
Instead, the ABC11 I-Team uncovered thousands of dollars used for ice cream socials, gardens and improving the presentation of food.
This money is in what s called a Civil Money Penalty Fund (CMP). Each state maintains a fund that is built from nursing homes fines for violations.
These violations range from abuse and neglect to lack of proper infection control plans. Violations in North Carolina have contributed nearly $13 million to the fund between 2018 and 2020.
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