Nursing home fines, Thomas Valva case and Suffolk CPS, retail theft, emergency alert system

Nursing home fines a drop in the bucket

The average estimated annual cost for a person to stay in a nursing home on Long Island is more than $176,000. Long Island has 78 nursing homes with an average of about 205 nursing home beds and an overall occupancy rate of 93% resulting in total revenue in the tens of millions of dollars.

The cumulative amount of fines for 2023 of $148,000 is less than half of 1% of total revenue, a drop in the bucket [“Why Island nursing homes were fined $148G in 2023,” News, April 7].

It is obviously cheaper for these nursing homes to gloss over and/or ignore these violations than to fix them. If their fines were raised substantially, cutting into their profits, maybe then these facilities’ owners will get the message that they need to do better in caring for our loved ones.

It’s telling that only two nursing homes out of the 21 contacted by Newsday chose to comment on their violations.

— William Shanahan, Westbury

As a former regulator, I can say unequivocally that there is a need for more unannounced visits to nursing homes and that more staff is required.

The fines for violations are inadequate and ineffective as a deterrent and must be increased.

In addition, funding for more visits by ombudsmen is a current budget issue. Weekly visits must be increased. The number of direct-care hours per patient is difficult to regulate, so it would be better if staffing ratios per patient are regulated because they are easier for inspectors to monitor.

— Sal DeAngelo, East Northport

A total of $148,000 in fines to Long Island nursing homes is peanuts to the owners. Fining them is useless — it’s only a small cut into their profit margins.

Owners and operators assess this as the cost of doing business. Start making owners subject to jail time if we’re looking for a deterrent.

— Anthony Tanzi, Mastic Beach

Did Valva’s job sway CPS’ handling case?

It might be true that Child Protective Services has staffing shortages in Suffolk County [“No charges for CPS workers in Valva case,” News, April 5]. But how are staffing shortages a reason for such a failure in the Thomas Valva case?

The teachers frequently reported their concern for the Valva children’s well-being, and investigators were sent to check the situation. If no one had ever been sent to investigate, then the statement from the president of the union representing case workers would have credence. But since CPS workers were sent to the house, please do not expect to ask anyone to believe they were treating it as false allegations after it was established that the father, Michael Valva, was a police officer.

Had case workers been sent to a house where the person accused was a factory worker or office worker, the children might be safe today. I believe CPS was easily persuaded to dismiss the allegations because of the father’s employment position.

— Thomas Penfold, Bellport

Stop retail theft with new security ideas

Big stores that are targets for free-for-all thefts should have a system in place to stop these larcenies [“Get tougher on retail theft,” Editorial, April 2].

Someone could press a button or use a handheld remote control to trigger a gate to come down, making it impossible for those who have taken the merchandise to get out of the store.

Meanwhile, police can be called. There are ways to deter the disgusting behavior of those who feel entitled to take whatever they want. It would cost money to install such a system, but it would significantly lower the number of thefts.

The people doing this need to be held responsible for the value of what was stolen and the damage done to the stores. And they should face criminal charges.

— Camille Morselli, Islip Terrace

Warning systems key for natural disasters

Like many New Yorkers, I was unnerved by the earthquake [“4.8 magnitude earthquake rattles Long Island, NYC area,” News, April 5].

I’m appalled at the antiquated emergency alert system. We received no official communication for quite some time. The emergency alert system on our smartphones came in about 30 minutes late, and the second warning, about potential aftershocks, came in even later.

I think as a nation we need to prioritize having advance warning systems in place that can significantly improve our emergency preparedness and disaster management.

This is critical, considering the unpredictability of Mother Nature, as demonstrated by the spurt of natural calamities in the world today.

— Atul Karnik, Woodside, Queens