"Ex-Cons in Nursing Homes Present Liability Risk"

"A report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in Washington, DC, shocked some health care professionals stated that five percent of workers in long-term care facilities have a criminal record, according to one government study that suggests risk managers should take steps to protect patients by aggressively screening applicants and closely monitoring any employees with criminal backgrounds.

Thirty-three states currently require long-term care facilities to do background checks on job applicants, but the HHS report notes that most states only require checks of their own state databases, not federal sources like the Federal Bureau of Investigation database. That means it is easy for criminals to just move to another state and get a nursing home job." [American Health Consultants, November 1998]