Federal survey rates Georgia nursing homes 2nd worst

Georgia gets poor marks for its nursing home system. According to a just-released federal quality ratings database, the state is second-worst in the nation. Of the 358 nursing homes in Georgia, 32-percent earned the lowest one-star rating, on a scale up to a best five-stars. Only Louisiana had a higher percentage of nursing homes with one-star grades--39 percent.

The database put together by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services evaluated three key areas: Health inspections, quality measures and staffing.

State Senator Rene Unterman is not surprised by Georgia’s low rating. As vice-chair of the Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee, she’s toured the state and seen the problems firsthand. The Republican from Buford says given Georgia’s two-billion dollar deficit, prospects for quick improvements are slim.

"I would say in these economic times not very good. We also have an aging population...we have the baby boomers coming on. The demands on the infrastructure are going to be tremendous. And the state of Georgia is going to have to step up to the plate and answer those demands."

Unterman says a big problem with privately-run nursing homes is the age of buildings and facilities.

Because of that, her focus has been trying to pour money into home-based care and community programs.

The survey database can be accessed by going to medicare.gov.

Three of nation's worst nursing homes are in Georgia

The federal government has put out its list of America’s worst nursing homes. Three are in Georgia. They are - Laurel Baye Healthcare of Lake Lanier, in Buford; The Place at Augusta, in Augusta; and Shoreham at Marietta, in Marietta. The list is published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Columbus: Feds order fix at mental hospital

West Central Georgia Regional Hospital in Columbus could lose federal funding unless it amends conditions that may have contributed to the death of a patient in early May.

Police charged another patient in that attack.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Tuesday that the facility's patients are in "immediate jeopardy" if changes are not made soon.

(AP)