(Seguin) – A written statement released Monday by Regency Integrated Health Services, the parent company for Guadalupe Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (GVNC), is apparently still not enough for one local woman and her family who felt that they had no choice but to protest the care that was reportedly being provided to their loved one.
Stefanie Taylor says it was just in June that she was forced to put the care of her mother into the arms of the nursing staff at GVNC located at 1210 Eastwood Drive. This past weekend, however, Taylor says that care was questioned after getting an earful from one of its nurses who apparently told her about the lack of care being provided to not only COVID-19 patients but to all patients at the facility.
“So, on Saturday morning at 8:30, I started calling the nursing home and I couldn’t get through. It just rang and rang until about 10 o’clock, I finally got through to someone and the nurse that I spoke with at that point told me that she was not the nurse on the COVID unit and when I asked to speak with that nurse, she explained to me that there was no nurse on that unit – that none of the nurses wanted to work the COVID-19 unit for fear of contracting the virus. She also explained to me that there were no nurses’ aides on that hallway also. She also went into detail about how it was her opinion that no one had been on that hallway all night. That there had been no nurses or nursing staff from 10 o’clock the night before. I was furious. I was scared for my mom and for all those patients in that hallway. I could not for the life of me figure out how were they getting their medicines, how were they eating, how were they going to the bathroom. It was just beyond me and like I said, I was furious,” said Taylor.
Furious at what she had just been told by this nurse, Taylor demanded that she be allowed to speak with GVNC Director Brooks Kersh or as Taylor refers to him, Mr. Brooks.
“She had said that he had actually put on PPE (personal protection equipment) and had gone down to the COVID unit and was checking on patients. I asked her to go get him. She said she could get as far as the doors but not get to close because she herself did not want to contract the virus and she hollered down the hall for Mr. Brooks and he did not answer. I told her to call him on his cell phone. She said ‘well I do not think he’ll answer,’ and I said you know what, call him anyway. So, she called him, and he refused to come to the phone so I told her that I would continue calling until I got an answer from him. So, I called and of course, I did not get an answer from him,” said Taylor.
As a result, Taylor and several members of her family found themselves outside the nursing facility on Saturday protesting not having answers and demanding that they speak to those in charge.
“So, my family and I decided we would go over and stand in front of the nursing home with our signs because I felt like that was our only way to get our point across. I wanted to talk to this administrator. I wanted people to know there was a problem. I even called the Seguin Police Department because although it is not a criminal problem or issue, I felt like I needed someone to hear me. My sister was able to get a hold of someone through dispatch and they dispatched a sergeant over there from the Seguin PD and it was told to us that he went and beat on the door until someone answered. They answered and the administrator assured him that they did have proper staff in place, but Mr. (Kersh) Brooks still wouldn’t talk to me,” said Taylor.
Being outside holding signs eventually led to Taylor’s meeting with Kersh who assured her that patients were being taken care of. According to Taylor, his response pointed to a disgruntled employee who reportedly took it upon herself to mislead her.
“In his words, I must have spoken to someone who was a disgruntled employee because the information that this employee gave me was simply not true and that he told me that they have plenty of PPE. That they have staff that is assigned to these different hallways including the COVID-19 hallway. So, at that point, I had no choice but to believe him. Now, that night, Saturday night at midnight and again at 4 a.m., I called the nursing home to find out if there was someone designated to the COVID hallway as Mr. Brooks had told me that there would be and there was not. There were two nurses working the entire facility,” said Taylor.
Taylor says she understands the pressure and the workload that GVNC must be under and believes that the employees at the nursing center do seriously care about their patients. It’s just the question of staffing needs and whether the local facility is getting the help they deserve from those in management and or from their parent company Regency.
“The contact that I have had with them has always been very caring, very accommodative, very willing to go above and beyond and honestly, that hasn’t changed with the staff. That hasn’t changed with any of the nurses or the nursing assistants. They are all very nice, very willing to help me and very accommodative. I just think that they are understaffed and what I want is for their corporate office to realize these people are working very hard and they need help whether that means they have to move some of these people to another one of their facilities where it is fully staffed or hire agency nurses. I don’t know what the answer is on that side, but something needs to be done,” said Taylor.
Taylor says her fight in ensuring that nursing homes are not forgotten has only begun. She says there is a serious need for the state to investigate nursing homes and ensure that the steps that need to be taken are taken. She says family members are these patients first and often times, only advocates.
“I’m trying to be in contact with Governor Abbott by email. I am going to make him listen to me. We need to open up these nursing homes. This is ridiculous. Yes, we have COVID-19 running rampant in these nursing homes. We have seen the numbers rise but it is not coming from the visitors because there haven’t been visitors since the middle of March. The people that are getting infected right now in the nursing homes with COVID-19, it is coming from the employees so if it’s coming from the employees, let me get in there – glove up, gown up, mask up, take my temperature, ask me your questions but get me in there and let me help take care of my mother. That’s what I’m getting at,” said Taylor.
According to Taylor, an investigation into her claims against GVNC has already begun. She has also already been contacted by an investigator.
In response to Taylor’s allegations, Brooke Ladner, senior vice president for business development with Regency Integrated stated “we cannot comment on hearsay and speculation but I can tell you that the Guadalupe Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation is staffed by healthcare professionals at all times. This includes the center’s COVID Unit which is isolated from the rest of the facility and has its own dedicated team of healthcare workers who are committed to caring for patients who test positive for the virus. While there were a number of staff members absent from work this past weekend for various reasons, we did have plenty of supplemental staff to cover shifts and care for our patients.”
Like GVNC, most if not all local nursing facilities are currently closed to visitors and to any outside guests as to help stop the spread of the virus. Most of these residents have not had any physical contact with family members since as early as March.