Attorney General Shapiro said his office opened criminal investigations into several Pennsylvania nursing homes and reaffirmed that the Office of Attorney General will investigate any nursing home engaging in criminal neglect of patients and residents.

While the Pennsylvania Department of Health has primary regulating and licensing authority of nursing homes throughout the Commonwealth, the Attorney General’s Care-Dependent Neglect Team, within the Medicaid Fraud Control Section, has jurisdiction on matters of criminal neglect.

Under Pennsylvania law, Neglect of a Care-Dependent Person occurs under a high threshold of certain circumstances when the caretaker of a person fails to properly provide for their health, safety, and welfare. The Attorney General’s Neglect Team reviews allegations regarding specific instances of mistreatment of care-dependent adults who are endangered or suffer injury resulting from caretaker neglect to determine whether criminal charges are appropriate, and if so, prosecutes such cases. The Office of Attorney General receives referrals for criminal investigation from local officials, the Department of Health, and members of the public.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office is launching a public email for criminal complaints and reports of neglect in nursing home communities at neglect-COVID@attorneygeneral.gov. For concerns relating to wellness checks, adequate PPE, or COVID-19 testing within a facility, please contact Department of Health at 1-800-254-5164.

For emergencies involving immediate danger to the person, people should contact 911 or 1-877-PA-HEALTH.