Florida nursing home owner to pay $1.75M in vaccine probe

TALLAHASSEE – The owner of a West Palm Beach nursing home will pay $1.75 million to settle claims that it improperly diverted doses of COVID-19 vaccine to members of its board of administrators and donors. 

The settlement stemmed from a federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention program, referred to as the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program, that was designed to vaccinate nursing-home residents and employees members as vaccines first grew to become obtainable in late 2020. 

MorseLife, which owns a nursing home and an assisted-living facility, was accused of vaccinating a whole bunch of individuals ineligible for this system. 

“This specific vaccination program was designed to protect some of the nation’s most vulnerable individuals at a critical time when the COVID-19 pandemic was devastating that population,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, mentioned in a ready assertion. 

The settlement resolved allegations that MorseLife “invited and facilitated the vaccination of hundreds of ineligible persons at the clinic by characterizing them as ‘staff’ and ‘volunteers,’ many of whom MorseLife targeted for donations,” a Justice Department news launch mentioned Thursday. 

MorseLife enrolled in this system and scheduled a vaccination clinic Dec. 31, 2020, for residents and employees members of the nursing home, the Joseph L. Morse Health Center. 

But the Justice Department news launch mentioned 567 of the 976 folks vaccinated had been ineligible for this system. 

Prosecutors alleged that donors had been listed as “staff” and that MorseLife’s fundraising arm was directed to invite donors and potential donors to the vaccination clinic. 

Also, the Justice Department alleged the board’s vice chairman and his brother had been allowed to invite shut to 300 ineligible folks to get vaccinated. 

In January 2021, Gov. Ron DeSantis introduced the state was investigating the nursing home after nationwide experiences in regards to the vaccinations. 

The governor’s workplace and the state auditor normal didn’t instantly reply to questions Friday in regards to the investigation.