>> NEARLY 75% OF RESIDENTS SAID
THEY WERE NEVER UNHAPPY WITH
CARE.
THIS IS ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS
OF A NEW SATISFACTION SURVEY
RELEASED BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS POLLING
RESIDENTS IN THE WISCONSIN
VETERANS HOMES AT KING AND UNION
GROVE.
THE OVERALL POSITIVE SURVEY
RESULTS CLASH WITH OTHER REPORTS
FROM RESIDENTS, FAMILY,
EMPLOYEES, AND FEDERAL
INSPECTIONS CITING THESE
FACILITIES FOR POOR QUALITY OF
CARE.
MARISA WOJCIK SHARES THIS STORY.
>> BEEN MORE THAN 20 YEARS, I'VE
NEVER SEEN THIS MANY CITATIONS
AND THIS MUCH IN FINES LEVELED
AGAINST ONE NURSING HOME IN THIS
STATE.
>> THE WISCONSIN VETERANS HOMES
AT KING AND UNION GROVE HAVE
BEEN MAKING HEADLINES FOR YEARS
WITH ALLEGATIONS OF POOR QUALITY
OF CARE.
AS MUCH AS A QUARTER OF A
MILLION DOLLARS IN FINES FROM
DEFICIENCIES HAVE BEEN CITED IN
FEDERAL INSPECTIONS.
NOW, A LAWSUIT HOLDS UNION GROVE
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATH OF
RESIDENT RANDY KOROLL.
>> THE CONCERNS WERE, TO SAY THE
LEAST, SAD, AS TO WHAT WAS
HAPPENING THERE, THE TREATMENT
THAT HE WAS RECEIVING AND
ULTIMATELY WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM
BECAUSE OF THE TREATMENT THAT HE
RECEIVED AT UNION GROVE, AND
THIS ALL CAME TO A HEAD IN LATE
2020, WHEN HE SUFFERED FROM
PROFOUND DEHYDRATION, WHEN HE
STARTED SUFFERING FROM SOME BED
SORES AND ULTIMATELY HE NEEDED
TO BE HOSPITALIZED FOR THOSE
CONDITIONS AND WAS NEVER ABLE TO
RECOVER.
THE WORST OF THESE THINGS
HAPPENED AFTER HE WAS DISCHARGED
FROM THE HOSPITAL AND RETURNED
TO UNION GROVE.
RANDY ONLY HAD A FEW DAYS LEFT
TO LIVE BECAUSE OF HIS INJURIES
AND THE DAY THAT RANDY STARTED
SHOWING CHANGES THAT HE WAS IN
THE DYING PROCESS, UNION GROVE
STAFF WAS SUPPOSED TO CALL HIS
WIFE AND LET HIM KNOW THAT RANDY
IS EXPERIENCING THESE CHANGES,
HE'S VERY CLOSE TO DEATH, SO
THAT SHE CAN GO AND BE WITH HIM,
BE AT HIS SIDE AND HOLD HIS
HAND.
THEY NEVER CALLED AND TOLD HER
THAT THEY DIDN'T CALL HER UNTIL
AFTER HE HAD DIED AND THEY
ROBBED HER OF THE RIGHT TO BE AT
HER HUSBAND'S SIDE AS HE PASSED
AWAY.
>> THESE EVENTS ARE SUPPORTED IN
A FEDERAL INSPECTION REPORT, AND
DOCUMENTS SHOWED MORE PROBLEMS.
>> MEDICATION ERRORS, WATER
BEING LEFT OUT OF RANDY'S REACH,
BED BUGS THAT WERE FOUND IN THE
ROOM, HIS CALL LIGHT GOING
UNANSWERED FOR MORE THAN 45
MINUTES, UNFILLED DOCTORS'
ORDERS FOR A HOLTER MONITOR TO
MONITOR HIS HEART, FOR PHYSICAL
THERAPY, ANTS CRAWLING AROUND IN
HIS ROOM, UNCOOKED FOOD, COLD
FOOD, FOOD THAT WAS...
>> WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS SAYS THEY CAN'T
COMMENT ON MATTERS INVOLVING ANY
SPECIFIC INDIVIDUAL DUE TO
H.I.P.A.A. AND OTHER PRIVACY
LAWS.
>> INJURIES OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN,
INCLUDING HIM HAVING BLOOD IN
HIS MOUTH AND A CHIPPED TOOTH
AND MACHINES THAT WERE BEING
USED TO HELP SCAN RANDY'S
BLADDER TO SEE IF HE WAS HAVING
URINARY RETENTION, THE WIRES TO
THESE MACHINES WERE BEING HELD
TOGETHER BY SCOTCH TAPE.
>> WE HAVE INVITED SPEAKERS HERE
TODAY...
>> HEARING RECEIVED TESTIMONY ON
THE CONDITIONS OF THE WISCONSIN
VETERANS HOMES.
TESTIMONY PAINTED A GRIM PICTURE
INSIDE UNION GROVE IN KING, FROM
CONDITIONS FOR STAFF.
>> SOME WORKED 16-HOUR SHIFTS
FOR THREE DAYS IN A ROW.
WE SPOKE WITH A NURSE WHO HAD
WORKED 32 DAYS IN A ROW.
>> TO THE CONDITIONS FOR
RESIDENTS.
>> HE HAS WET HIMSELF IN THE BED
SEVERAL MORNINGS IN THE PAST FEW
YEARS BECAUSE NO ONE COMES TO
HELP WHEN HE PUTS HIS CALL
BUTTON ON.
NOW HE SAYS HE DOESN'T WANT TO
GO OUTSIDE BECAUSE HE KNOWS HE
WON'T WANT TO GO BACK IN.
>> AND POINTED TO LEADERSHIP AS
THE PROBLEM.
>> OVERSIGHT AND CHANGE OF
MANAGEMENT COMING OUT OF MADISON
AND AT THE LOCAL LOCATION,
THINGS STARTED TO DETERIORATE.
>> BUT THESE ORDEALS ARE
CONTRARY TO THE RESULTS OF A NEW
SATISFACTION SURVEY CONDUCTED BY
THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS.
PEOPLE AT UNION AND KING RATE AN
AVERAGE OF 8.1 OUT OF 10 AND
YEARLY 75% OF RESPONDENTS SAID
THEY WERE NEVER UNHAPPY WITH
CARE.
>> I WANTED TO HEAR FIRSTHAND
FROM THE MEMBERS ON THE GROUND,
THE MEMBERS AND THE STAFF IN THE
FACILITIES.
AND SO THAT WAS A GOOD START.
AND SO I'M GOING TO PUT TOGETHER
A WORKGROUP THAT'S GOING TO
ANALYZE THE RESULTS, COME UP
WITH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AND
THAT WILL HELP US, YOU KNOW, PUT
TOGETHER A PATH FOR MOVING
FORWARD.
>> W DB-A SECRETARY DESIGNEE,
JAMES BOND, WAS APPOINTED BY
GOVERNOR TONY EVERS IN JANUARY.
HE PUSHES BACK AGAINST CLAIMS
SAYING THE HOMES ARE IN CRISIS.
>> ANY KIND OF ALLEGATION WITH
RESPECT TO OUR HOMES, THOSE ARE
THINGS THAT WE INVESTIGATE, WE
FOLLOW UP, WE MAKE SURE THAT WE
CORRECT WHATEVER IT IS THAT
NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED.
I ALSO WANT TO SAY TO THOSE
MEMBERS THAT I WANT TO HEAR
DIRECTLY FROM YOU.
IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS THAT YOU
FEEL ARE NOT BEING ADDRESSED,
YOU KNOW, REACH OUT TO ME.
>> THE DEPARTMENT NOTES
COMPETITION FROM PRIVATE
FACILITIES, A DECLINING VETERAN
POPULATION, AND STAFFING AS KEY
CHALLENGES.
>> I HAPPEN TO BE INVOLVED WITH
THE BOARD ON LONG-TERM CARE IN
THIS STATE AND WE OFTEN TALK
ABOUT SOME OF THE EXACT SAME
CHALLENGES THAT OUR STATE
VETERANS HOMES HAVE: STAFFING
CHALLENGES.
SOME OF THEM HAVE THINGS THAT
HAPPEN THAT BRING THEM A
CITATION THAT'S HORRIBLE, BUT
WE'RE HUMAN BEINGS.
BUT THEY'RE NOT IN THE PAPER AND
THEY'RE NOT SITTING HERE TODAY
BECAUSE THEY'RE PRIVATE SECTOR,
THEY DON'T HAVE THE WORD
"VETERAN" AND IT'S NOT NEWS
WORTHY.
>> SO IF THEIR STRESSORS ARE THE
SAME ACROSS THE INDUSTRY, WHY IS
UNION GROVE RANKED IN THE BOTTOM
FIVE IN THIS COUNTRY?
THAT'S ILLOGICAL.
>> THE STATE BUDGET APPROVED
FUNDING FOR A STUDY INTO ALL
THREE WISCONSIN VETERANS HOMES.
>> AND THE PURPOSE WAS IS SO
THAT WE CAN LOOK AT LONG-TERM
PLANNING OF OUR FACILITIES, LOOK
AT THE FUTURE OF HOW THOSE
FACILITIES MIGHT LOOK AND LOOK
AT OUR CURRENT OPERATIONS.
>> SENATE COMMITTEE MEMBERS ARE
HOPING MORE CAN BE DONE.
>> AND I WOULD HOPE THAT ONE OF
THE BIGGEST TAKE-AWAYS IN ALL OF
THIS IS THAT I THINK EVERY
MEMBER ON THE COMMITTEE IS ALL
IN AGREEMENT THAT WE WANT AN
AUDIT.
I THINK THAT GIVES US AN
OPPORTUNITY, IF WE GO THROUGH
THE AUDIT COMMITTEE, TO FIND
LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, THERE ARE
CLEARLY ISSUES THAT WE CAN
ADDRESS HERE IN THE SHORT-TERM.
>> IF THE LEGISLATURE DECIDES
THAT THEY WANT TO HAVE AN AUDIT
SO THEY CAN TAKE A BETTER LOOK
AT OUR OPERATIONS, OUR FINANCIAL
SITUATION, AND OFFER, YOU KNOW,
SUGGESTIONS ON HOW WE MIGHT BE
ABLE TO IMPROVE, I THINK THAT
WOULD BE A GOOD THING.
BUT AS I MENTIONED, I HAVE
NOTHING TO HIDE AND I WELCOME AN