To find out how many criminal prosecutions took place after deaths or serious injuries in Kentucky long-term care facilities, the Herald-Leader requested all Type A citations issued by the state for a three-year period.

The newspaper obtained thousands of pages of documents under the state's Open Records Act from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Kentucky Attorney General's office.

Because of federal privacy laws, the information did not contain any personal information, such as names. The Herald-Leader was able to identify some victims because family members had spoken publicly or there had been criminal charges or civil lawsuits.

The investigation took more than a year.

We'll continue to write about nursing home care and oversight.