FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          CR
MONDAY, JUNE 19, 1995                              (202) 616-2765
                                               TDD (202) 514-1888
                                 
JUSTICE SEEKS INJUNCTION AGAINST DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA TO ASSURE
           BASIC CARE AT THE DC VILLAGE NURSING HOME 
                                
            Action Would Hasten Relief for Residents

     WASHINGTON, D.C. --  The Justice Department today asked a
federal court to order the District of Columbia to discontinue
dangerous and life-threatening practices and ensure basic care
for residents of the D.C. Village Nursing Home.  
     The request for an injunction follows last month's Justice
Department suit alleging that the District had violated the
constitutional rights of the nearly 300 residents by neglecting
to provide adequate care.  Today's step was taken after new
evidence showed that action is needed in order to protect the
lives of residents there.     
     D.C. Village is located in Washington, D.C. and houses
individuals with special needs, including the elderly, persons
with mental illness and persons with developmental disabilities.
     The Justice Department papers, filed in U.S. District Court
in D.C., alleged that the inadequate care has resulted in serious
harm, including preventable amputations and the death of
residents. 
      "D.C. Village's substandard care is a threat to the very
people who entrust their lives to the care the District
provides," said Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Deval
L. Patrick. "The District has been faced with these egregious
conditions for some time and has continued to drag its heels in
taking the necessary remedial measures."
     The Department asserted that at times the facility fails to
provide adequate food for the residents and lacks essential
medical supplies, medication and hot water for bathing.  It also
asserted that bed-ridden residents are left to sit in their urine
and feces for hours.  The Department further alleged that at
least two residents have died this year from treatable conditions
and several others recently had limbs amputated after suffering
severe bedsores. 
     According to the Justice Department filing, the District's
overreliance on "contract nurses" instead of permanent and
reliable staff is resulting in the severe deficiencies.  
     Reports show that contract nurses and vendors are not being
paid, resulting in shortages of necessary medical supplies.
       "We tried to rectify the problems at D.C. Village through
a cooperative federal and local effort,"  said Eric H. Holder,
Jr., U.S. Attorney in Washington D.C.  "We are disappointed that
the District did not voluntarily take the steps needed to assure
proper care for the residents of D.C. Village."
     The Justice Department sought the injunction after receiving
numerous declarations from multiple sources -- D.C. Village
residents, family members, service providers, advocates and
independent experts which described the conditions at the
facility.      
     D.C. Village has been under investigation by the Department
since August 1990 under the authority of the Civil Rights of
Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA).
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95-346