Jared Whitlock

Thin medical staffing faces greater scrutiny – even from within the assisted living industry – as COVID-19 cuts a deadly swath through elder care facilities.

The trend raises new concerns that regulators aren’t policing the industry enough during a crisis.

Except for end-of-life situations, visitors largely haven’t stepped foot in facilities in months, leading to calls for access and balance. Outdoor visits are allowed but many operators do not permit them.

Recently, state and county officials rolled out plans for mass COVID-19 testing in nursing homes. But there’s no roadmap for widespread testing in another senior care venue: assisted living facilities.

The lawsuit, among the earliest of its kind in California, accuses The Springs at Pacific Regent and its owner of negligence in responding to the novel coronavirus.

COVID-19 testing varies widely across San Diego senior facilities. The state and county aim to induce widespread testing in senior homes, but advocates say these efforts are moving too slowly and lack teeth.

One of the deadliest COVID-19 outbreaks in the state’s assisted-living industry has occurred at a La Mesa facility with a troubled regulatory past.

This story was produced as a project for the 2019 Impact Fund.