Dr. Deborah Hedgecock is a recent graduate of the University of South Florida’s aging studies program. Debbie and I have worked together since 2000 when we had to gather a lot of data in a few months for a legislative Task Force on Availability and Affordability of Long-Term Care. Debbie pioneered data collection methods for identifying and analyzing lawsuits against nursing homes. This was not a small feat!

These data and other work staff completed for the Task Force were used to justify increases in staffing in nursing homes and changing the requirements for filing a lawsuit against a nursing home. Dr. Hedgecock’s dissertation addressed how these changes affected the nature and extent of nursing home lawsuits in Florida.

She was also the project manager for our survey of assisted living residences in Florida and a study of nursing home liability insurance trends. I am delighted to continue to work with Debbie as part of Aging Research Group.

Jennifer