Iowa: Governor-elect defends nursing homes over surveyors
Gov.-elect Terry Branstad (R-IA)
Governor-elect Terry Branstad (R) recently told Iowa Public Television viewers that the state's nursing home inspectors have “a gotcha attitude” when it comes to in the way they enforce regulations in Iowa nursing homes.
“I would choose new leadership for the Department of Inspections and Appeals,” Branstad told the audience during his second successful campaign for governor. “We need to work in a collaborative and cooperative way to provide the best quality of care for people.”
The first time he was governor, from 1983 to 1999, Branstad received strong support from the nursing home industry. However, during that time, his administration often was criticized for allegedly being weak against nursing homes that didn't comply with state regulations, according to an op-ed article in the Des Moines Register.
During review of a Long-Term Care Ombudsman report issued in 1997, Iowa's ombudsman, William Angrick said the inspections agency failed to adequately enforce state and federal laws regarding nursing homes, even in caseswhen a resident died, the article claimed.
