PHOENIX (AP) - An Arizona legislative staff agency has found that state health officials failed to adequately investigate complaints of abuse and neglect at nursing homes statewide.
The Arizona Republic reported Thursday that the Arizona Auditor General's Office says the state Department of Health could be risking long-term care residents' health by failing to resolve complaints involving unsanitary living conditions.
The report says complaints dating back to 2017 remained unresolved in 2019.
Health officials say the report is a non-representative sample that looks at five long-term care facilities representing less than 1% of all the licenses the department regulates.
The agency recommended they develop and implement a timeframe for completing and closing complaint investigations.
Officials say 44 staff members and more than $3 million would be needed to handle about 2,500 annual complaints.
