To the General Assembly, Governor Glenn Youngkin and State Attorney General Jason Miyares;
While Virginians are crying out for protection, dignity, and justice in long-term care, your offices remain silent, even as powerful industry lobbyists work overtime to shield abusers and block real reform.
In just the first weeks of 2025, three influential lobbyists registered to influence nursing home policy:
•Charles Richard Cranwell Jr., Director of Government Relations for American HealthCare, LLC--the company behind multiple facilities cited for neglect and understaffing.
•William Benjamin Hopkins Jr., a lawyer with Martin, Hopkins & Lemon, P.C., who defends nursing homes against civil accountability.
•W. Heywood Fralin Sr., representing Medical Facilities of America (MFA) --one of the largest owners and operators of nursing homes across Virginia.
These lobbyists are not advocating for residents. They are advocating for impunity.
MFA and other major chains have been repeatedly cited for serious deficiencies , including avoidable injuries, chronic short staffing, and failures to follow care plans. Federal reports, lawsuits, ADA violations, and wrongful death claims. It tells a damning story. And yet:
•No administrator has lost their license.
•No facility has faced criminal prosecution.
•No legislator has called a public hearing--not even those from Colonial Heights like Senator Morrissey and Delegate Greenhalgh, who have taken industry contributions while ignoring this crisis.
Specific Facilities Under Scrutiny:
•Medical Facilities of America (MFA): Operates approximately 40 centers throughout Virginia and North Carolina, including:
•Virginia Beach Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center, Virginia Beach
•Parham Road Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center, Richmond
•Piney Forest Health & Rehabilitation Center, Danville
•Princess Anne Health & Rehabilitation Center, Virginia Beach
•Pulaski Health & Rehabilitation Center, Pulaski
•Raleigh Court Health & Rehabilitation Center, Roanoke
•Regency Health & Rehabilitation Center, Yorktown
•Riverside Health & Rehabilitation Center, Danville
•Salem Health & Rehabilitation Center, Salem
•Springtree Health & Rehabilitation Center, Roanoke
•Stanleytown Health & Rehabilitation Center, Bassett
•Valley Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, Chilhowie
•Wonder City Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, Hopewell
•Albemarle Health & Rehabilitation Center, Charlottesville
•Heritage Hall - King George, King George
American HealthCare, LLC: Manages 16 Heritage Hall facilities across Virginia, including:
•Heritage Hall - Front Royal
•Heritage Hall - Leesburg
•Heritage Hall - King George
•Heritage Hall - Lexington
•Heritage Hall - Blacksburg
•Heritage Hall - Brookneal
•Heritage Hall - Charlottesville
•Heritage Hall - Clintwood
•Heritage Hall - Dillwyn
•Heritage Hall - Grundy
•Heritage Hall - Laurel Meadows
•Heritage Hall - Nassawadox
•Heritage Hall - Tazewell
•Heritage Hall - Virginia Beach
•Heritage Hall - Wise
•South Roanoke Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
Ask yourselves: Whose lives are worth protecting? The residents who suffer in silence --or the lobbyists who profit from it?
We demand:
1. Criminal investigations into facilities with substantiated abuse and wrongful deaths.
2. Public hearings on the influence of MFA, American HealthCare, and their lobbyists.
3. Immediate passage of the Virginia Long-Term Care Staffing Standards Act of 2025.
Lobbyists should not be writing Virginia's long-term care policies. The people should.
Your legacy will be defined by whether you stood with the victims--or with the people paid to silence them.
Sincerely,
Victoria Jackson
CNA | Long-Term Care Advocate | Author of Dale's Law: The Virginia Long-Term Care Quality and Nursing Admissions Reform Act of 2025