Alice Hyde Medical Center has received 40 citations for violations of public health code between 2017 and 2021, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on June 25, 2021. The facility has also received $26,000 in fines, according to those records. The Malone nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of four inspections by state authorities. The violations they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not adequately prevent accidents. Section 483.25 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must ensure residents receive adequate supervision to prevent them from sustaining accidents. A January 2020 citation found that Alice Hyde Medical Center failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the facility did not ensure a resident who was a known wandering risk “did not elope from the building undetected until she was seen outside at the employee entrance door asking to come back into the facility because she was cold.” According to the citation, the resident’s wander guard alert “was not sounding on the computer” when the resident was outside. In an interview, the nursing home’s facility director aid that the resident was able to enter a stairwell “because there was an issue with the door,” which was attributed to an issue with the door’s magnetic strip. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the education of all staff on the facility’s unsafe wandering policy.
2. The nursing home did not take adequate measures to prevent and control infection. Under Section 483.80 of the Federal Code, nursing homes must endeavor to prevent the development and transmission of disease and infection by creating and maintaining an infection prevention and control program. A January 2020 citation found that Alice Hyde Medical Center failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the nursing home did not ensure the maintenance of standard precautions during the changing of a resident’s pressure ulcer dressing; that for two residents, it did not ensure the development of infection-causing pseudonomas in their wounds; and that for one resident, it did not ensure the following of standard precautions during IV medication administration. The citation goes on to state that the nursing home “did not ensure that a basin filled with wound care supplies was not carried from room to room.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the education of relevant staff.
3. The nursing home did not adequately prevent the administration of unnecessary drugs. Section 483.45 of the Federal Code requires nursing homes to maintain every resident’s drug regimen “free from unnecessary drugs.” A November 2018 citation found that Alice Hyde Medical Center failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the facility did not ensure two residents “received pain medications with adequate indications of its use or adequate monitoring.” In one instance, the citation states, a resident was not properly monitored to determine the effectiveness or continued need for the pain medication they had been subscribed. In another instance, the citation states, the nursing home did not ensure there were adequate indications for the doubling of a resident’s antibiotic dosage and duration. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the education of relevant staff.
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.
