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The Landing of Southampton General Manager Ashley Harker and Director of Health and Wellness Joy Alfonsi were notified of the incidents in the facility's memory care unit by staff members on July 22, 24, and 26, PA Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.
Alfonsi and Harker assured the staff that they would handle the situation and told the witnesses not to document or report the incidents themselves, Shapiro said.
Despite these assurances, neither Harker nor Alfonsi reported any of the three incidents of abuse to law enforcement, protective services, or the PA Department of Human Services as required by law, authorities said.
Both Harker and Alfonsi's jobs were terminated in October 2021, when officials at Leisure Care were made aware of the situation, Leisure Care's Vice President Michael Juno told Daily Voice.
"Leisure Care remains committed to holding our community to the highest standards of safe, quality care," Juno said.
"The trust of our residents, their families and our staff is of vital importance to us, which is why we took immediate action to conduct a thorough investigation and transition to a new management team in October 2021.
"We continue to work in close coordination with state and local authorities, as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Health, to ensure all of our residents continue to experience the exceptional care they deserve and expect."
Harker and Alfonsi’s failure to immediately report the first allegation of abuse allowed the male resident to remain in the memory care unit with insufficient safeguards where he continued to sexually abuse female residents, Shapiro said.
Both women have been charged with neglect of a care-dependent person, recklessly endangering another person, criminal conspiracy, and failure to report abuse. The charges come as part of a larger investigation by the 47th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury into potential abuse of care home residents.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Benjamin McKenna. All charges are accusations. The defendants are innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Pennsylvania Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $9,133,920 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2022. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $3,044,638 for FY 2022, is funded by Pennsylvania.
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