Delco Nursing Home Director Admits To Endangering Residents

DARBY, PA — The regional director for a Delaware County nursing home has admitted to recklessly endangering residents, according to state authorities.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Chaim "Charlie" Steg pled to his role in recklessly endangering three residents of St. Francis Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare in Darby.

Steg, who was the facility's Regional Director of Operations, plead following a joint investigation conducted by the Office of Attorney General and Darby Borough Police through the 44th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury.

Additionally, St. Francis is required through a civil settlement to maintain an increased minimum staffing level and undergo quarterly audits by the Department of Health to ensure compliance.

The investigation began after the Office of Attorney General received dual referrals from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Darby Borough Police Department. The initial investigation began in August 2017, after staff at the Mercy Catholic Medical Center's Mercy Fitzgerald Campus notified the Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging of concerns they had for the poor condition of several residents transferred from St. Francis.

"Every resident of every nursing home deserves to be safe, they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity, and they deserve to be heard," Shapiro said. "It is the law to uphold the obligation to keep residents safe. If a facility cuts staff to the point that they can't give residents the care they need - we're going to find out, and we're going to hold them accountable."