How widespread is Scabies in Chase Care Center, El Cajon, CA? I
understand nurses and Aides have scabies because they showed a
resident their rashes!
What can we do? We have a resident in the center who has "recurrent"
scabies withing one year? We are desperate.

I work for a nursing management company.  Onsite surveys are performed
at least once every 12 to 15 months at each facility.  You have the
right to request the results of the state survey for that nursing
home.  Chase Care Center's survey looks like it typically conducted
towards the end of November each year.  I could not find the 2004
stats yet.  It looks like their surveys usually take place at the end
of Nov. each year so the 2004 just are available yet (or the survey
will be taking place in the very near future).  You can request the
survey results at the facility or you can view them online (I do not
know if the online results are the complete results).

To see more, go to...

http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/home.asp

That address should take you to Medicare's "Nursing Home Compare" tool.

I found their data by searching for a home by Name (click the Name link).
Typed in "Chase Care Center" and California - Southern as the State.

Check Chase Care Center and click next.

Click View all information about this nursing home...

Expand their "Quality Measures" (located about 1/2 way down the page)
and also expand "Inspection results".

That will give you a bit of info.  On the bottom line of the Quality
Measures you will see the Pressure sores results.  Pressure sores
aren't scabies but it does seem insteresting that this facility has a
20% higher occurrance of pressure sores than the state average.  Other
than that, they seem average.  Ten survey violations last year (which
is the state average)...

When looking at the survey info, you can view the previous surveys by
clicking the View Previous Inspections Results.

You probably noticed that at the top of the page there is a contact
information area.  To quote the page:
"If you have a concern or complaint about the quality of care you or
your family member get from a nursing home, you may call one of the
organizations below if you are unable to get a satisfactory resolution
from your nursing home."  Check with the facility's licensed
administrator if possible.

I am not an expert on what exactly these survey results mean but
hopefully this information helps.

Oops.  I starting my previous post with an incomplete thought.

"I work for a nursing management company."  I left out something along
the lines of...

It is going to be very difficult for find out exactly how many other
residents have scabies.  The nursing home isn't likely going to admit
to a private individual if health issues possibly caused by them are
widespread or not for a few reasons.  The obvious is because they
don't want to look bad/negligent.  Also, due to privacy laws they
would not be able to tell you about medical conditions of specific
residents.  Privacy laws should not prevent them from letting you know
that x number or x percentage of residents have a certain medical
problem as long as they told you in a way that did not identify
specific residents.