Skilled Nursing Bulletins: Aftermath of Hollywood Deaths

News about the nursing home deaths in Hollywood, Fla. continues to unfold, with each day bringing more information about the scene inside the facility — and the longer-lasting impact that the tragedy at the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills will have on the skilled nursing industry as whole.

The latest:

• Industry leaders met at a summit in Tallahassee, Fla. last weekend, eventually agreeing that they can meet Gov. Rick Scott’s call to install generators at all SNFs in the state — but at a price, according to the Miami Herald. The bill will run $240 million, the Florida Health Care Association said, and industry groups hope to receive some state assistance to cover the cost.

• Scott, a Republican, found himself in hot water over the weekend: Four messages left by Rehabilitation Center employees on his personal cell phone have been deleted, a local television reporter discovered. The governor had given out his number to nursing home and senior housing operators before Irma hit.

• Another evacuated former resident of the facility, 94-year-old Alice Thomas, died on Saturday, bringing the overall death toll to 11.

• The Rehabilitation Center’s ownership currently faces four lawsuits stemming from the deaths and injuries suffered after the storm.

Written by Alex Spanko