As part of California’s controversial practice of discharging COVID-19 patients from acute-care hospitals into nursing homes, L.A. County’s Department of Public Health (LAC DPH) has designated 21 facilities to accept people with the disease caused by the coronavirus. But data reviewed by Capital & Main show that at least 240 residents of these facilities have died of COVID-19, and that most of the nursing homes approved by public health officials to take COVID-19 patients have poor overall ratings, higher-than-average health deficiency levels and low staffing.

The findings raise questions about whether residents already living in these facilities are being exposed to the potentially deadly virus by discharged COVID-19 patients, and how or whether the agency is vetting facilities before allowing them to accept those recovering from the disease.

“LAC DPH’s decision to promote by listing on their website problematic facilities that were willing to accept COVID-19 patients was an act of desperation,” said Dr. Noah Marco, chief medical officer at the Los Angeles Jewish Home, in a statement sent to Capital & Main. “Desperation created by not enlisting the advice offered to them by experts in long-term care, and not appropriately anticipating the easily predictable devastation that is occurring in L.A. County nursing facilities.”