Ohio’s nursing homes are dumping patients at homeless shelters | AP News Jake Zuckerman/signal Ohio

The scene was concerning enough to prompt the homeless shelter staff to call the fire department.

A woman using a walker had shown up, incontinent and carrying “a large bag of medications.” She was diabetic, managing a tibia fracture and alcohol-related dementia, and she was “dumped” at the shelter, according to federal inspectors.

“The staff member (said) Resident #83 was unclear of what was going on, scared, and not sure who dropped her off there,” inspectors for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which funds most nursing home care in the U.S., wrote after an Aug. 3, 2023 inspection.

The incident was what industry experts described as a rare but increasingly common instance of a nursing home in Ohio transferring its patients – who are often older, poorer and medically fragile – to a homeless shelter.

CMS has faulted Eastland and six others in the past few years related to efforts to discharge patients to homeless shelters, most of which were ultimately carried out.

The woman had been caught drinking beer at her residence in the Eastland Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, in Columbus, prompting an involuntary discharge. Staff tried to get her into rehabilitation for substance use, but no beds were immediately available.