Rhody Report Exclusive: MORE leaked emails to the Rhode Island Department of Health – 16 different nursing homes over a month period, evidence of state apathy towards PPE shortages despite plenty of federal money

Over a month’s time, leaked communications from families and staff show that despite their pleading for assistance, Governor Raimondo forced infected and contagious elderly out of hospitals and back into nursing home facilities where PPE was in short supply.

This, coupled with the recent reporting that the vast majority of federal relief assistance has yet to be spent, concerns are being raised regarding the management of the COVID-19 pandemic by the political leadership in Rhode Island.

What follows is a timeline of communications sent to the Rhode Island Department of Health, that appear to have fallen on deaf ears:

Leaked communication dated 4-1-20, Berkshire Place Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 455 Douglas Ave Providence, RI:

• Patient shows signs of a COVID-19 infection, has a roommate and without protective equipment.

Leaked communication dated 4-10-20 Summit Commons Rehabilitation and health Care Center  99 Hillside Ave, Providence, RI:

• Aids are forced to care for COVID-19 patients without proper PPE.

Leaked communication dated 4-11-20 Bradley Hospital Group Homes (five group homes that are run by Bradley Hospital for children ages 4 to 21, located in East Providence (Rumford House and Swan House), East Greenwich (Greenwich House), North Providence (Hill House), and Warwick (Heritage House) – NOT all included in complaint):

• THIRD complaint to the Rhode Island Department of Health, “just trying to protect the children” and “management and administration is not responsive.”

Leaked communication dated 4-13-20 [previously reported by Rhody Report] Orchard View Manor, 135 Tripps Ln, Riverside, RI:

• Family member complaint regarding father being tested positive for COVID-19 and cites the facility is “significantly understaffed,” “shortages of PPE,” “nurses putting themselves at risk or just not coming to work,” and father unable to see a doctor.

Leaked communication dated 4-13-20 Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, 200 High Service Ave, North Providence, RI:

• “[N]ursing staff continue to request testing on three patients, but their requests go without remedy . . . Staff complain they do not have proper PPE and this is placing many staff and patients at risk.

Leaked communication dated 4-14-20 [previously reported by the Rhody Report] Orchard View Manor 135 Tripps Ln, Riverside, RI:

• Relative of staff member stating conditions are “terribly horrible!” “Almost the ENTIRE patient population has tested positive for COVID-19 . . .” “PPEs are scarce and reused over and over and over again.” “They NEED HELP and they need it NOW!”

Leaked communication dated 4-16-20 Darlington Memory Lane, 1081 Mineral Spring Ave, North Providence, RI:

• “Staff are reportedly not showing up because they are fearful of becoming infected because of the lack of PPE.”

Leaked communication dated 4-16-20 Elmhurst Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center, 50 Maude St, Providence, RI:

• “Complainant reports poor working conditions and staff are not provided proper PPE.”

Leaked communication dated 4-16-20 Hopkins Manor LTD, 610 Smithfield Rd, North Providence, RI:

• “We just had a resident die . . . we do not have the ppe to be safe. Please help us!!!!!!!!”

Leaked communication dated 4-20-20 Saint Elizabeth Home, 1 St Elizabeth Way, East Greenwich, RI:

• “NO precautions are being taken with residents who have been in contact. Residents are being allowed to be around other residents . . . [N95 masks available to some] . . . All other staff are forced to wear a paper mask, sometimes for days in a row.”

Leaked communication dated 4-21-20 South County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 740 Oak Hill Rd, North Kingstown, RI:

•  “Who is responsible for supplying PPE? . . . staff is currently washing the PPE that they wear and reusing it.”

Leaked communication dated 4-22-20 Eleanor Slater Hospital, 111 Howard Ave, Cranston, RI:

• “They are having to wear masks for days at at time. They don’t have enough supplies.”

Leaked communication dated 4-23-20 Evergreen House Health Center, 1 Evergreen Dr, East Providence, RI:

• “They are making the staff work even sick. There are not enough masks. We are getting sick and bringing this home to our families.”

Leaked communication dated 4-24-20 Hopkins Manor LTD,  610 Smithfield Rd, North Providence, RI:

• I lost 2 family members this week . . . something needs to be done. Please call me.”

Leaked communication dated 4-28-20 [previously reported by the Rhody Report] Crystal Lake Nursing Home, 999 S Main St, Pascoag, RI:

• “Staff has no gowns to enter rooms with, they are using johnnie’s (sic). They have one mask per week . . . People (residents and staff) are dropping like flies . . . Please do something about this quickly.”

Leaked communication dated 4-29-20 Crystal Lake Nursing Home, 999 S Main St, Pascoag, RI:

• “Staff is not supplied with safety equipment such as mask, goggles & those kinds of things . . .”

Leaked communication dated 5-5-20 Eastgate Nursing Home, 198 Waterman Ave, East Providence, RI:

• ” . . . [S]taff does not have appropriate PPE. They are threatening to fire staff, saying there is not enough PPE so they need to toughen up.”

Leaked communication dated 5-7-20 West View Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, 239 Legris Ave, West Warwick, RI:

• “Staff from start to the end of the shift use the same gown and the same mask for a week, going in and out of every room.”

Leaked communication, not dated Morgan Health Center, 80 Morgan Ave, Johnston, RI:

• “They told us we were not allowed to wear face mask if we got our flu shot. And we can’t find any mask in the building to protect each other.”

How is this possible when most of the money to protect these patients and health care staff has gone unspent? Rhode Islanders deserve answers.