CA Settles Case Against Senior Care Facility For $3.5 Million

CALIFORNIA — State Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a $3.25 million settlement Friday with the nation's largest operator of senior living facilities for misrepresenting quality at care centers in 10 California cities, including Santa Rosa.

The settlement resolved allegations against Tennessee-based Brookdale Senior Living, Inc., that its facilities failed to adequately notify and prepare residents for both transfers and discharges and misrepresented its quality of care to the public by reporting false information, including over-reporting the number of hours that nurses provided care to residents.

According to a news release issued Friday from Bonta's office, the false information led to higher ratings the company used to attract prospective residents and their families.

"Skilled nursing facilities should always provide their residents with the highest standard of care," Bonta said. "Instead, Brookdale put seniors and people with disabilities at risk, and misled prospective residents and their families about the quality of its California facilities."

The settlement pertains to the company's facilities, or former facilities, in Santa Rosa, Bakersfield, Camarillo, Carlsbad, Northridge, Rancho Mirage, San Diego, San Dimas, San Juan Capistrano and Yorba Linda.

As part of the settlement, Brookdale will be required to stop engaging in the illegal practices alleged in the complaint; appoint a monitor to oversee compliance at its Kern County Facility; and pay $2.4 million in civil penalties, $550,000 in costs and $400,000 to the Kern County Long Term Care Ombudsman.

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