Department Of Justice Report On Local Veterans Home

Bay Minette Health Care A detailed report alleges inadequate care at the W.F. Green State Veterans Home in Bay Minette.

by Chad Petri

Published: Sat, January 03, 2009 - 8:36 pm CST Last Updated: Sat, January 03, 2009 - 8:40 pm CST

To some, the W.F. Green Home provides good care to residents.

“And we know they do because we have day to day contact, we're aware of what they're doing,” says retired Navy Captain Hal Pierce. Members of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division think otherwise. A recently released 45 page report lays out blistering claims against workers there. The report faults the home for what the feds call inadequate health care, inadequate nutrition and hydration for residents, and dangerous psychotropic medication practices among other violations. While not having seen the report himself, Captain Pierce defends the home saying, in many cases, it's the last place veterans go before passing.

“They take care of severely disable veterans it's not always a happy place it carries sometimes a negative connotation, and I’m sorry about that, but it's just they way it is,” says Pierce. This report is a laundry list of alleged violations and members of the Alabama Department of Veteran's Affairs say they were caught completely by surprise. In a news release issued Saturday state officials say investigators told them they did not have any major concern with the treatment of residents during their February visit. A Veterans Affairs spokesman says they do not agree with the report. Captain Pierce says he's not aware of any major violations.

“Sometimes disagreements arise and they have 100 some patients for God's sake you can't avoid that, but I wouldn't be ready to believe all this stuff,” says Pierce. State officials have less than 49 days to respond to the report.

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