An Iowa nursing home chain repeatedly accused of providing substandard care for hundreds of seniors has filed for bankruptcy protection, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. QHC Facilities, based in Clive, Iowa, operates eight skilled nursing facilities in Tama, Madison, Humboldt, Jackson, Linn, Webster and Polk counties, as well as two assisted living centers. Collectively, the facilities have a maximum capacity of more than 700 residents. The company employs roughly 300 full-time and part-time workers. The company filed for bankruptcy last week, claiming $1 million in assets and $26.3 million in liabilities. In recent years, QHC and its affiliates have been hit with some of the largest federal fines ever imposed against an Iowa nursing home chain, with inspectors stating the company had placed residents in immediate jeopardy due to substandard care. At the same time, however, the company has sued its elderly residents for failure to pay for that care, and has neglected to pay more than $700,000 in fines.
