Infection

November 18, 2021

Bishop Rehabilitation and Nursing Center Cited for Falls, Infection

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

Bishop Rehabilitation and Nursing Center has received over 90 citations since 2017 and has recently been placed on a list for failing to properly care for its residents.

Bishop Rehabilitation and Nursing Center has received 91 citations for violations of public health code between 2017 and 2021, according to records accessed on November 12, 2021. It was recently placed on the “Special Focus Facility” list maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Syracuse nursing home facility’s citations resulted from a total of 17 surveys by state inspectors. The deficiencies they describe include the following:

1. The nursing home did not employ adequate measures to prevent falls. Under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code, nursing homes must provide residents with adequate supervision and assistance devices to prevent accidents. A September 2021 citation found that Bishop Rehabilitation and Nursing Center failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes a resident who “did not have a supervision plan in place to ensure safety during meals while receiving a mechanically altered diet.” The resident consequently “sustained several falls.” According to the citation, the nursing home did not thoroughly investigate the falls for the purpose of preventing further falls. The citation goes on to describe multiple instances during which the resident was eating in their room with no staff president, despite care instructions requiring supervision while eating. The citation describes these deficiencies as having the “potential to cause more than minimal harm.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the re-education of staff.

November 16, 2021

Livingston Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation Center: Pressure Ulcer Citation

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

Livingston Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has been cited 66 times since 2017 for failing to properly care for patients’ pressure ulcers and for failing to take proper preventative measures to avoid any further injuries or infections.

Livingston Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has received 66 citations for violations of public health code between 2017 and 2021, according to records accessed on November 12, 2021. It was recently placed on the “Special Focus Facility” list maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Livingston nursing home facility’s citations resulted from a total of eight surveys by state inspectors. The deficiencies they describe include the following:

1. The nursing home did not provide adequate pressure ulcer care. Section 483.25 of the Federal Code requires nursing homes to ensure residents receive a professional level of care and services to promote the healing of existing pressure ulcers and prevent the development of new pressure ulcers unless medically unavoidable. An April 2019 citation found that Livingston Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation Center failed to ensure such. The citation specifically states that the nursing home did not provide adequate interventions to prevent or promote the healing of a pressure ulcer on a resident’s coccyx. The citation describes the lack of interventions added to the resident’s care plan after the resident was documented as at risk for a pressure ulcer; a review found additionally that after an ulcer was documented, there was “no care plan for the necrotic wound and/or the wound infection.” In an interview, the facility’s Medical Director said “he was not aware that there were no wound care orders to promote healing of the pressure sore” and that the resident “received a substandard of care.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the education of all nursing staff.

November 4, 2021

Are Regulators Doing Enough To Prevent Infection in Nursing Homes?

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

A recent report revealed that nursing homes across the country are rarely being cited for posing a threat to patients and failing to properly prevent and treat infections.

A new report by the Long-Term Community Care Coalition provides disconcerting revelations about the state of nursing home oversight in the US. According to the LTCCC’s analysis of nursing home citations issued from 2017 to 2020, the data suggests that regulators seldom classify deficient infection control practices as harmful to residents. Continue reading

October 26, 2021

Highland Rehabilitation and Nursing Center: Pressure Ulcer Citation

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

Highland Rehabilitation and Nursing Center has received 26 citations since 2017 for being in violation of public health codes and for failing to properly take care of its residents.

Highland Rehabilitation and Nursing Center received 26 citations for violations of public health code between 2017 and 2021, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on October 22, 2021. The Middletown nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of two surveys by state inspectors. The deficiencies they describe include the following:

1. The nursing home did not deliver adequate pressure ulcer care and prevention measures. Under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code, nursing homes must ensure residents receive necessary treatment and services to prevent the development of pressure ulcers unless they are medically unavoidable. A January 2020 citation found that Highland Rehabilitation and Nursing Center failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the nursing home failed to establish and perform interventions tailored to one resident’s particular circumstances to prevent the development of pressure ulcers. It goes on to state that in connection to a second resident, the nursing home failed to ensure the use of heel booties to promote the healing of pressure ulcers and prevention of further ulcers from developing. The citation states that these deficiencies, while isolated, had the “potential to cause more than minimal harm.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the in-servicing of residents and the updating of the first resident’s care plan.

October 20, 2021

Van Duyn Center Cited for Abuse, Medication Errors

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

Van Duyn Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Syracuse has received a total of 89 citations for being in violation of public health and safety codes and has been previously placed on a list that could make this nursing home one of the worst facilities.

Van Duyn Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing has received 89 citations for violations of public health and safety code between 2017 and 2021, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on October 15, 2021. The Syracuse nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of 20 surveys by state inspectors. The most recent inspection—on June 18th, 2021—described the following deficiencies:

1. The nursing home did not adequately prevent accidents. Under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code, nursing homes must ensure residents receive an environment as free as possible of accident hazards. A June 2021 citation found that Van Duyn Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the facility lacked a plan to evacuate a resident who weighed around 700 pounds and “was not mobile” from their room during an emergency. As the citation describes, the resident “required assistance with activities of daily living” and their care plan documented the need of a mechanical lift. In an interview, staff members said the resident’s bed would not fit through their room’s doorway and that they were “not trained in bariatric evacuation.” Both a certified nursing aide and a licensed practical nurse stated that they had not been trained in bariatric evacuation and were not sure how to evacuate the resident. In an interview, the facility’s Director of Nursing said they were not certain whether there was an evacuation plan for bariatric residents. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the development of an evacuation plan for the resident, the training of staff, and the purchase of necessary equipment.

October 14, 2021

Syracuse Nursing Home Placed on “Special Focus” List

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

Van Duyn Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Syracuse has received a total of 89 citations and was placed on a list by the federal government after inspectors found serious issues that could name this nursing home one of the worst facilities in the country.

A “troubled” nursing home in Syracuse, New York has been placed on the federal government’s “special focus facilities list,” meaning it may end up named one of the worst-performing facilities in the country for a second time, according to a report by Syracuse.com. Continue reading

October 12, 2021

Report Describes Devastating “Excess Deaths” in Nursing Homes

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

During the Covid-19 pandemic nursing homes had as many as 40,000 deaths due to staff being overworked and neglecting many nursing home residents.

An Associated Press analysis of 15,000 nursing homes across the United States found that the Covid-19 pandemic may have resulted in as many as 40,000 excess deaths—that is, premature deaths from causes other than Covid-19. Experts suggested to the AP that nursing home residents may have died of neglect as overworked staffers tended to residents suffering from the disease. Continue reading

September 29, 2021

St. Margaret’s Center Cited for Fall, Infection Control

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

St. Margaret’s Center has been in violation of public health codes and has received 31 citations in the last four years for failing to prevent accidents and injuries and for lacking proper infection control and not following the proper safety precautions when caring for patients’ cuts and wounds.

St. Margaret’s Center received 31 citations for violations of public health code between 2017 and 2021, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on September 25, 2021. It has also received three fines totaling $36,000 since 2015. The Albany nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of seven surveys by state inspectors. The violations they describe include the following:

1. The nursing home did not adequately prevent accidents. Nursing home residents have the right to an environment as free as possible of accident hazards under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code. A February 11 citation found that St. Margaret’s Center failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes the facility’s failure to ensure the siderails on a resident’s crib “were properly positioned and latched to prevent a fall from the crib.” According to the citation, a Certified Nursing Aide observed the resident flip out of their crib, after which the resident was observed sitting up on the floor, “crying and bleeding from the right side of the mouth.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the re-education of nursing staff on the proper use of crib rails.

September 22, 2021

Foltsbrook Center for Nursing Cited for Abuse, Accidents

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

Foltsbrook Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation has been in violation of health codes and has received 77 citations over the last four years for failing to protect residents from accidents leading to injuries, failing to prevent infections, and for not protecting residents from being abused by other residents.

Foltsbrook Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation received 77 citations for violations of public health code between 2017 and 2021, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on September 17, 2021. It has also received two fines totaling $12,000 since 2018. The Herkimer nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of six surveys by state inspectors. The violations they describe include the following:

1. The nursing home did not adequately protect residents from accidents. Under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code, nursing home residents have the right to an environment “as free of accident hazards as is possible” and with adequate supervision to prevent accidents. A June 2021 citation found that Foltsbrook Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes a a resident who microwaved soup and then spilled it on her legs, resulting in a second-degree burn described in the citation as a “non-healing wound.” In a later incident, the resident received reheated soup which spilled on her abdomen, resulting in blisters. According to the citation, the facility did not have any policy to ensure the safe reheating of foods, and there were no thermometers available in the unit for staff members to check the temperature of reheated foods. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the removal of microwaves from common areas.

September 8, 2021

Linden Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation Cited for Infection

by Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC

Linden Center For Nursing and Rehabilitation located in Brooklyn, NY has received multiple citations for being in violation of public health code and failing to protect their residents from infection and unnecessary medication.

Linden Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation received 16 citations for violations of public health code between 2017 and 2021, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on September 3, 2021. The Brooklyn nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of two surveys by state inspectors. The violations they describe include the following:

1. The nursing home failed to adequately protect residents from infection. Under Section 483.80 of the Federal Code, nursing homes are required to create and maintain a program to prevent and control the development and transmission of disease. A January 2019 citation found that Linden Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the facility did not clean or adequately maintain certain areas in its laundry room. State inspectors observed “laundry bins in disrepair,” walls that were “chipped, dirty, in need of painting,” a dirty and clogged water drain, a floor in need of cleaning and sweeping, milk crates filled with dirty used mops, used employee coats and hats in the clean linen area, and overflowing garbage bins. In an interview, the facility’s Director of Housekeeping said that the facility had one housekeeper assigned to the area. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the education of laundry and housekeeping staffers.