Local officials are responding after a Grand Jury report noted several safety concerns at Gracedale Nursing Home.
The grand jury investigation was launched in June after a Gracedale staff member allegedly tried to exorcise a demon out of a resident with intellectual disabilities. District Attorney Stephen Baratta said police found the nurse stuffing rags and her hands in the patient’s mouth. Officers received four phone calls from the resident’s roommates before responding, allegedly because Gracedale staff told them they weren’t needed.
The investigation also revealed 14 deficiency reports from Health and Human Services inspections in 2025. This included “physical assaults of patients, patient elopements, and failure to provide prescribed medical care.”
Gracedale has also faced severe staffing shortages. The report notes that at one time, the facility only employed 58% of agency registered nurses, 43% of employed LPNs, and 56% total agency direct care nursing out of the suggested staffing level.
On Thursday, County Executive Tara Zrinski released a statement emphasizing that Gracedale residents and their families “deserve honesty from their government, accountability from those entrusted with care, and clear evidence that the County is taking action.”
Gracedale Nursing Home has been in the spotlight often in recent years. The facility’s license was downgraded from Regular to Provisional earlier this year following ongoing struggles with staffing, safety violations, and poor Department of Health ratings.
In this week’s statement, Zrinski listed several planned actions including strengthening executive oversight and accountability, improving transparency, strengthening quality assurance, and evaluating security operations and emergency response procedures.
