Protesters gathered outside the Grand Rehabilitation & Nursing in Rome for the second time this summer on Saturday, demanding changes inside the facility.

"We hope that the residents, their daily lives improve. These people, we know they're suffering. I'm not saying there isn't great healthcare workers inside that building, because I can name many of them, there just isn't enough of them,” said Ruth Wallace, the organizer of the protest.

What You Need To Know

  • Over a dozen protesters gathered outside the Grand in Rome Saturday afternoon

  • Family members of patients are hoping for changes including more staff

  • Saturday's protest was the second this summer, it comes after a patient posted a viral video detailing alleged mistreatment

The protest comes after a patient at the facility, RaeJean Wallace, posted a video on Facebook detailing mistreatment allegedly happening at the nursing home,

"The video was essentially a cry for help. And when she posted the video, she assumed her friends and family would see it,” her daughter, Ruth, said.

The video has now been viewed around 100,000 times. It’s that, and the stories of other family members of patients, that pushed Ruth to coordinate these protests.

"I'm done, we're here we're protesting, we want changes, we demand changes, and we will pound their pavement until they give us what we want, and we want these residents taken care of, we're tired of loved ones suffering, and we're tired of people dying over negligence,” Ruth said.

Other family members were also at the protest, including a daughter who lost her father to COVID-19. She says he didn’t receive the proper care when he got sick, and that she had to call 911 for him to get emergency medical care.

"Not only I'm advocating for my dad, it's everyone. Some of them don't have family to advocate for them, but we have to be a voice for them,” said Rosemary Morrissey.

Spectrum News has reached out to the Grand Rehabilitation & Nursing but has not received a response to Saturday’s protest.