FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe O’Leary | Joe.OLeary@cga.ct.gov | 508-479-4969

October 15, 2026

(EAST WINDSOR, CT) – An anonymous complaint filed with the Connecticut State Long Term Care Ombudsman has elevated concerns about resident safety at East Windsor’s Fresh River Healthcare facility.

“We have received dozens of complaints about this facility over the last few years with many still unresolved,” said Ombudsman Mairead Painter. “This resident’s experience has been truly horrific resulting in a dangerous condition that no one would want their loved one to experience.”

The complaint submitted to Painter’s office included images and video of a maggot infested wound on the resident’s head.

Painter and State Senator Saud Anwar were joined by Aging Committee Co-Chair State Representative Jane Garibay at a press conference on Thursday at the facility.

“This resident’s medical condition was permitted to deteriorate with limited staff intervention and poor care documentation. The facility has failed to meet individual care needs and consistently failed to maintain the minimum required staffing ratios in Connecticut,” said Painter. “Without appropriate staffing how can a facility be prepared to meet the actual care needs of their residents?”

The long-term care Ombudsman’s office has filed six (6) staffing complaints against this facility. The most recent one was after the resident council called for action reporting that residents are left for hours unattended in the dining room/lounges.

“This resident’s experience is outrageous,” said Senator Anwar. “What’s even more concerning is that the disregard for residents. Facilities must provide sufficient staffing to meet their residents’ needs, and our regulatory agencies must hold them accountable.”

Finding these conditions at a facility that has received a five-star quality rating raises additional questions about facility inspections, complaints pending with the Department of Public Health, and about the Center for Medicare and Medicaid’s risk-based survey approach. This new approach, implemented last month, streamlines recertification inspections for facilities with high ratings. That means eligible facilities, like this one, can receive a shorter, more focused review involving fewer surveyors, a smaller resident sample, and less onsite time, unless concerns are identified by the Ombudsman’s office or other complaints are filed. These streamlined surveys focus primarily on infection control and increase the risk that resident care issues can be missed.