criminal background checks nursing homes
Oklahoma Nursing Home Residents Endangered by Employees with Criminal Pasts
Federal investigators have determined that 90 percent of U.S. nursing homes have at least one or two employees that have been convicted of one or more crimes. It was also shown that 5 percent of all nursing home employees have been criminally convicted at least once. This poses many dangers to nursing home residents who, because of their age and condition, are already vulnerable.
Although there is no federal law specifically requiring federal and/or state criminal background checks on nursing home employees, this study demonstrates that some more regulated form of employee screening is needed. Only ten states require that F.B.I. and state records be checked before hiring, and only 33 require a check of state records. Without a consistent system of background checks for potential nursing home employees, it is much too easy for potentially dangerous or reckless individuals to slip through the hiring process undetected. Once hired, they’ve secured a paying job that provides them with the opportunity to abuse, assault and steal from defenseless elders.
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