Ohio's nursing homes are dumping patients at homeless shelters [View all]

By JAKE ZUCKERMAN/Signal Ohio
Updated 2:28 PM EDT, April 17, 2026

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.
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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.
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https://apnews.com/article/ohio-nursing-home-patients-homeless-shelters-9c000eeddc9c9411f44fd605fafc6771