Tennessee State Ombudsman, Quiteka Moten, and Consumer Voice and Discuss Involuntary Nursing Home Evictions During COVID-19

May 24, 2021

Tennessee State Ombudsman, Quiteka Moten, and Consumer Voice’s Sam Brooks were interviewed by WREG News on involuntary nursing home discharges during COVID-19. While federal protections kept landlords from evicting renters during the pandemic, a provision that also extended to assisted living facilities, the same wasn’t true for residents of nursing homes. Data from the State Long Term Care Ombudsman’s Office shows there were 11 evictions from eight nursing homes in Shelby County Tennessee last year, up slightly from the previous year. Quiteka discussed the role of the Ombudsman program, which includes getting involved in the process of involuntary discharges, pushing back, and helping the residents file an appeal or an application for Medicaid. Sam Brooks is the Program and Policy Manager for the Consumer Voice and he told WREG that nursing home evictions throughout the pandemic were a detriment to residents as some ended up in places that put them at greater risk of catching coronavirus.