After Court number 2 of Puerto de la Cruz opened proceedings on the management of the Hogar Santa Rita nursing home, allegedly mistreatment of the elderly and the commission of a crime of reckless homicide is not ruled out, according to judicial sources, the union of Workers’ Commissions (CCOO) has sent a statement in which they defend the work of the center’s staff. “From CCOO we can only reiterate our defense and admiration for the workers of this Foundation. And wait for the resolution that exists, once the complaint filed by the Prosecutor’s Office has been admitted for processing,” they shared.
The union recalls that the work of the Hogar Santa Rita staff during the pandemic was “committed to caring for residents.” “The workers have been an emotional support for all the elderly, in conditions that are impossible to understand except for those health and socio-health professionals who have experienced it first-hand”.
For this reason, they ask for “respect for the staff of this Foundation and that manifestations that may lead to confusion regarding the treatment of residents in this Social and Health Center be measured”.
The The original complaint came, in December 2020, from the staff of the Hospital de La Candelaria who worked in this residence, which has a capacity for 710 places, during the first wave of the pandemic due to the high number of COVID-19 infections registered in its facilities, both among workers and among users. days later, the The Ministry of Health of the Canarian Government ordered to intervene the residence. In addition to the outbreak, workers from the Canary Islands Health Service reported episodes of malnutrition and scabies infections.
A residence built thanks to the sale of “bits of heaven”
The Santa Rita Foundation is divided into modules I and II. The first of them was inaugurated in 1981 by Father Antonio Hernández, now deceased. Years later, the second part was built, more ambitious and that was raised thanks to the sale of “little pieces of heaven”, which “were acquired every time one contributed to the Work, and which are still in force”, it is remembered on its website. The collection of the “checks from Heaven” then amounted to nearly 2,000 million old pesetas. Currently, it is part of the socio-health infrastructures that the island of Tenerife has to deal with the high demand of people who require a center of this type (although it is a Foundation, it has multi-year agreements with the Cabildo of that island and the from La Gomera). In fact, according to a study by the Association of Social Managers and Directors, the Canary Islands need 7,000 more healthcare places and the Canarian Government has come to recognize that when the current infrastructure plan ends, more places will continue to be needed.
