Apex Rehabilitation & Care Center received 15 citations for violations of public health code between 2018 and 2022, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on April 29, 2022. The Uniondale nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of 3 inspections by state surveyors. The deficiencies they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not effectively protect residents from accidents. Section 483.25 of the Federal Code requires nursing homes to ensure that resident environments are as free as possible of accident hazards. A February 2022 citation found that Apex Rehabilitation & Care Center failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes an instance in which the facility did not move an ambulatory resident out of their room while “while there were repairs being made for an active leak,” additionally failing to put signage in place to inform the resident, who was at risk for falls, that the floor was wet. In an interview, a certified nursing aide acknowledged that the resident “could slip on the floor.” A housekeeper said in another interview that “they should have put a sign that indicated the floor was wet,” due to the risk that the resident could fall. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the educational counseling of staff assigned to the resident.
2. The nursing home did not employ adequate infection-control protocols. Under Section 483.80 of the Federal Code, nursing homes must ensure the establishment and maintenance of an infection prevention and control program. A February 2022 citation found that Apex Rehabilitation & Care Center failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes an instance in which a Registered Nurse did not perform proper hand hygiene or change their gloves after changing a resident’s leg wound. It goes on to describe a separate instance in which the registered nurse allowed a resident’s cleansed pressure ulcer to come into contact with a dirty surface. In a third instance described by the citation, another registered nurse did not perform proper hand hygiene after cleaning a third resident’s wound. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the educational counseling of relevant staff.
3. The nursing home did not provide residents with a sufficient quality of care. Under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code, nursing homes must provide residents with a level of treatment and care “in accordance with professional standards of practice, the comprehensive person-centered care plan, and the residents’ choices.” A February 2022 citation found that Apex Rehabilitation & Care Center failed to ensure such. The citation specifically an instance in which a registered nurse did not pack a resident’s foot wound in accordance with the physician’s orders. In interviews, the RN said they overlooked the orders, while the facility’s wound care nurse said the RN would have to re-perform the wound care.
The attorneys at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC work diligently to protect the rights of nursing home residents. Please contact us to discuss in the event you have a potential case involving neglect or abuse.