KANSAS CITY, Kan — The first family to file a lawsuit against Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation wants the facility to be held accountable for their father's death.
As of Monday, 28 residents of the Kansas City, Kansas, facility have died from COVID-19. Okey Long, 87, was one of them. In February, he went to Riverbend for rehabilitation after having a stroke and a seizure.
Latrice Newman and Tamesia Long, Okey's daughters, told 41 Action News that their father was only supposed to be at Riverbend for 20 days.
"That was the last location he was supposed to go to, to get him prepared to come back home," Newman said. "We anticipated him coming home, but he never got to."
Okey, according to Newman, needed two extra weeks of rehabilitation. During that time, he became ill and died from COVID-19.
"It was a sad moment because my dad was by himself," Tamesia said. "I know he missed us. We missed him."
Both Riverbend and Wyandotte County health officials said the outbreak likely began with an employee who worked while displaying symptoms, including a fever.
"Knowing the person came in, that he was sick, to spread that amongst people, that's hurtful," Tamesia said. "I know the COVID, it came into the whole world, but they didn't have the proper procedures in that building.”
In March, Medicaid and Medicare Services asked nursing facilities to screen staff for signs of illness. The employee who worked while sick was diagnosed on April 1.
Rachel Stahle, the family's attorney, said the lawsuit is about accountability and getting answers.
"We have a situation where Riverbend was not following rules that had been put in place," Stahle said. "They were put in place to protect our most vulnerable population."
Tamesia and Newman said the facility never told them there was an outbreak of COVID-19. Instead, they said, they found out by watching the news.
The 41 Action News investigators reached out to Riverbend about the allegations but did not receive a response by Monday night.
"I feel like they didn't do their job right," Tamesia said. "I feel bad for all other people that had to endure this, too, because who wants their loved ones to die alone. I wish I was there to hold my dad's hand."
