The United States Department of Justice announced on June 30, 2022 that MorseLife Health System Inc. (MorseLife) agreed to pay $1.75 million to resolve its potential liability under the False Claims Act for facilitating COVID-19 vaccinations for hundreds of individuals ineligible to participate in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program (LTC PPP), a program specifically designed to vaccinate long-term care facility (LTCF) residents and staff when doses of COVID-19 vaccine were in limited supply at the beginning of the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program.
MorseLife enrolled in the LTC PPP and scheduled its first vaccination clinic at MorseLife on December 31, 2020 for residents and staff of the Joseph L. Morse Health Center, a skilled nursing facility on MorseLife’s campus. The government alleged that MorseLife knew that the LTC PPP covered only LTCF residents and staff, but nevertheless invited and facilitated the vaccination of hundreds of ineligible persons at the clinic by characterizing them as “staff” and “volunteers,” many of whom MorseLife targeted for donations. Specifically, the United States alleged that MorseLife (1) characterized board members as “staff,” (2) directed the organization’s fundraising arm to invite donors and potential donors to the vaccination clinic, and (3) allowed the Vice Chairman of the MorseLife Health Systems Inc. Board and his brother to invite close to 300 ineligible individuals to receive the vaccine at MorseLife. In all, MorseLife facilitated the vaccination of 128 ineligible board members, their family and friends, along with the other ineligible persons.
MorseLife’s CEO allegedly directed the MorseLife Foundation, the organization’s fundraising arm, to invite donors and potential donors to the vaccination clinic, encouraging Foundation employees to take advantage of the vaccination opportunity to target billionaires and millionaires for donations.
MorseLife’s CEO also allegedly allowed the Vice Chairman of the MorseLife Health Systems Inc. Board and his brother to invite approximately 290 people to the vaccination clinic, none of whom lived or worked on the MorseLife campus and most of whom did not volunteer on MorseLife’s campus and had no prior affiliation with MorseLife. A significant number of these invitees were members of the same country club as the Vice Chairman and his brother, and some of the invitees flew to Florida just to get vaccinated at the clinic.
Ultimately, the United States alleged that of 976 persons vaccinated at the December 31, 2020 vaccination clinic, 567 were ineligible to participate in the LTC PPP.
A spokeswoman for MorseLife issued a statement regarding the settlement that stated, “MorseLife strongly denies the allegations set forth by the government but chose to settle this matter to avoid the expense and distraction of protracted litigation.”
If you or a loved one suffered injuries (or death) while a resident of a nursing home in Florida or in another U.S. state due to an infection acquired in a nursing home such as COVID-19, nursing home neglect, nursing home negligence, nursing home abuse, or nursing home fraud, you should promptly contact a nursing home claim lawyer in Florida (Florida medical malpractice lawyer) or a nursing home claim lawyer in your state who may investigate your nursing home claim for you and file a nursing home claim on your behalf or on behalf of your loved one, if appropriate.
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