Dear Governor Youngkin, Attorney General Miyares, Members of the Virginia General Assembly, and Leaders of Virginia’s Oversight Agencies,
I’m writing today—again—not because I enjoy sending emails like this, but because the people in power still aren’t doing their jobs.
This week, Henrico Health and Rehabilitation Center was named one of the worst-performing nursing homes in the country, joining the CMS Special Focus Facility list after repeated citations for abuse, neglect, and violations so serious they triggered immediate jeopardy status. Residents were reportedly left in soiled briefs for hours, denied medication, suffered preventable injuries, and in at least one horrific case, subjected to sexual abuse by staff.
And yet, here we are. Still no criminal charges. Still no facility shutdowns. Still no enforcement of even the most basic staffing standards. Still no response to Dale’s Law—a bill written to prevent exactly this kind of institutionalized cruelty.
Which begs the question: Why is no one being held accountable?
Is it because there’s simply too much money at stake for the industry’s biggest donors? Because Virginia’s healthcare lobbyists and PACs are too busy cutting checks and hosting luncheons to allow their minions in Richmond to risk disrupting the Medicaid money machine? Because—despite mounting evidence—our elected officials would still rather protect corporate profit margins than human dignity?
The situation in Henrico is not isolated. It’s part of a deeply broken system that has been documented repeatedly, including at Harrisonburg Health & Rehabilitation, where Dale nearly died from preventable infections and sepsis. Despite the evidence, despite months of outreach, despite formal complaints, FOIA disclosures, and widespread advocacy, there has been zero legislative movement. Zero regulatory overhaul. Zero accountability.
So again, I ask:
• Why are these facilities still open?
• Why are taxpayer dollars still being funneled to providers caught defrauding CMS and abusing residents?
• Why has no one in power responded to Dale’s Law or moved to implement mandatory staffing standards in Virginia?
If your answer is “we’re looking into it,” I’d gently remind you that the same facilities you’re “looking into” are actively harming people. If your answer is “we’re working on it,” then I invite you to show your work, because so far all we’re seeing are campaign deposits and a lot of performative silence.
Virginia’s elderly and disabled deserve more than this. Frankly, so do the rest of us. And if your office isn’t prepared to protect them, you should be honest about who you’re actually working for—because at this point, it clearly isn’t the citizens.
Sign the petition for change today. Share it. Tell these “leaders” that their leadership is abysmal at best, and criminal at worst