Senator Rivera on State Attorney General Letitia James’ Lawsuit Against Western New York Nursing Home Owners and Operators

“I commend Attorney General James for her extensive investigation into the operations of The Villages, a nursing home in upstate New York, and her resulting lawsuit against the owners and operators of the facility who are accused of misusing public money, neglecting the health and safety of both patients and staff, and disregarding regulations to line their own pockets with millions of taxpayer dollars. 

This investigation alleges that these bad actors allowed a deeply toxic environment inside The Villages’ facilities that subjected patients to inhumane treatment, neglecting basic hygiene and nutritional standards for New Yorkers living in their facilities, and failed to ensure adequate staffing and worker protections.

It is deeply disturbing that these patients and their loved ones went through such horrific experiences. It is my hope that aggressive enforcement by the Attorney General’s office on behalf of these families will warn bad actors that New York will hold them responsible and financially accountable if they do not ensure patient and worker safety or if they misuse state dollars meant for health care.

This case highlights the necessity of legislative efforts I worked diligently to pass in 2021, including establishing safe staffing in nursing homes, setting minimums for nursing facilities' spending on direct patient care, and making nursing home ownership and financial interest more transparent.

I am committed to advancing measures to first and foremost ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of patients at nursing homes and residential care facilities across the State as well as to outlaw exploitative practices by bad actors who through technicalities or loopholes avoid compliance to maximize profit.”