In nursing homes across the country, an analysis of federal data shows food for their elderly and vulnerable populations has become a hidden casualty
Judges’ comments:
NJ.com and its Advance Publications partners in Alabama, Michigan and Oregon took on the lax policies for U.S. nursing homes around financing and nutrition, and drew a straight line between opaque policy, owners’ greed and human harm. This investigation clearly showed how and why some private nursing home owners can use “related parties” accounting structures to extract money for their own profit and keep that quiet, while their industry advocates argue the homes just need more tax dollars. The reporters presented the consequences of greed with extraordinary, clear examples from across the nation, of vulnerable residents being deprived of edible food, or of any food at all. The project had impact. The head of the New Jersey Senate’s Health Committee pledged to reintroduce long-stalled legislation that would require the industry to open its books and show where the money is going.