Salisbury nursing home sued after family says resident died during COVID-19 outbreak

SALISBURY, N.C. — A Salisbury family is suing a nursing home after they say staff failed to notify them when their loved one died.

[PAST COVERAGE: Lawsuit claims Salisbury nursing home compromised residents’ care]

Ronald Barber’s family filed the lawsuit against The Citadel Salisbury nursing home Friday. He told Channel 9 his 98-year-old aunt, Dorothy Cleveland, died in the facility in April of 2020, but staff never notified him of her death. Instead, he said the director of a local funeral home contacted him after her body had already been embalmed.

“The way everything happened, it was horrific,” Barber said in an interview Monday. “It was kind of rough, you know. I didn’t get calls from the headquarters, the director, none of the people.”

The lawsuit accuses The Citadel of “negligence and reckless disregard.” It also says the family “learned the majority of all residents at the facility” – including Mrs. Cleveland – “were positive for COVID-19.”

Barber said when he asked the facility about it, he was told by staff members that “the facility had just one positive case” and the person had been removed. The suit also noted the funeral director shared that “this was the first time in his 32 years in the funeral business that he was the first person to inform a family member their loved one had died.”

“We send our loves ones to nursing homes so they can end their final days with dignity, and it didn’t happen in this case,” Barber explained.

[PAST COVERAGE: Salisbury nursing home that had COVID-19 outbreaks faces serious consequences]

He said while the lawsuit won’t right that wrong or bring his aunt back, they hope it brings some positive change to the facility.

“Maybe it will wake the owners up to do something different,” Barber said. “I just hope it gets better for people in there and the people who have to go.”

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Channel 9 reached out to the company the owns The Citadel Salisbury, Accordius Health, for a statement on the lawsuit, but have not heard back as of this report.

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