State sues North Shore nursing home for COVID violations
ROWLEY – The state is suing a North Shore nursing home over how it handled resident safety during the pandemic.
The Attorney General's office has been investigating Sea View Retreat, Inc., in Rowley since June 2020. The civil lawsuit claims the facility and its owner didn't comply with state or federal laws, rules and regulations designed to protect long-term residents from COVID-19.
The suit claims residents weren't isolated if they had symptoms or tested positive for the virus and that staff wasn't trained on how to properly use protective equipment. Because the safety rules weren't followed, the Attorney General's office said, any claims Sea View billed to MassHealth during the pandemic were improper and fraudulent.
Last year, Sea View's owner Steve Comely said he's rather shut down the facility than comply with the state's vaccine mandate for nursing home employees.
"I have a very limited staff left and about 25 percent have decided against the covid vaccine," he said. "But they have the right to decide what to put in their body and I have to back them up on that."
At least one resident at Sea View died from COVID during the investigation. The facility has since closed.
