Woodbriar Health Center of Wilmington, Massachusetts faces up to $100,000 in fines following the death of a resident that resulted from a fall on Christmas day of 2015. The nursing home has been accused several times of poor care by the state and families of residents. An 83 year old resident, Mary Meuse, was dropped […]
Nursing Home Violations
Monroe County New York Nursing Homes as Repeat Offenders
Monroe County nursing homes have been cited for numerous deficiencies that often place residents at risk, yet they are still open for business; a Rochester nursing home remained open for two years after receiving chronic violations from the government. Democrat and Chronicle, a newspaper in Rochester, NY found that more than 1/3 of violations received […]
Lax Oversight of Nurses in New York Endangers the Public According to Propublica Investigations
According to a Propublica article,New York State’s oversight in the field of nursing care in considerably more lenient when compared with other states in the country. Over the past 15 years, nursing boards around the country have taken steps to tighten the screening process of nurse applicants before issuing licenses and implemented stricter punishments for abusers. […]
Nursing Aid Sentenced to Jail after Sexually Abusing Resident
A Bronx nursing assistant accepted a plea to six months in jail and five years’ probation after being found guilty of Endangering the Welfare of an Elderly Person in the second-degree and Sexual Abuse in the second-degree of a nursing home resident at Manhattanville Rehabilitation and Health Center in the Bronx. He pled guilty to […]
NY Nursing Home Attorney Report: The Cover-up is Worse Than the Crime (Usually)
On January 4, 2016 Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced several guilty pleas in connection with allegations against Mohawk Valley Health Care Center (MVNH) for falsifying business records and covering up nursing home resident abuse and neglect. In a separate civil settlement, MVNH Associates, LLC also agreed to pay a $1,000,000 fine to Medicaid for […]
Brooklyn, NY Nursing Home Cited For DNR Problems
Hopkins Center for Rehabilitation & Healthcare in Brooklyn was recently fined $10,000.00 by the New York State Department of Health for a citation issued during a 2012 inspection. The incident involved an 87 year-old female resident whose advanced directives were not completed and therefore not followed. The resident’s grand-daughter had executed a Do Not Resuscitate […]
Rochester Nurse Convicted of Falsifying Medical Records After Failing to Provide Blood Thinner
A Registered Nurse (RN) at St. Ann’s Community Home in Rochester, New York recently entered a plea of guilty in a criminal court case involving neglect of an elderly resident. RN Christine Deisenroth was prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the New York State Attorney General’s Office. AG Eric T. Schneiderman charged the […]
Beechwood Homes in Amherst, New York Cited for 56 Violations
Two employees at Beechwood Homes, an Amherst, NY nursing home, were recently convicted for crimes committed while they were supposed to be caring for residents. Kimberly Fay, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), was convicted for stealing hydrocone. Ms. Fay falsely documented discarding tablets of hydrocone in part of a residents’ chart. Instead of discarding the narcotics, she […]
Nursing Home Residents Exploited on Social Media
Across the country, nursing home employees have been violating the rights of nursing home residents through social media, posting humiliating pictures and videos of residents against their will and without their knowledge. In 2012, a non-profit investigative newsroom found 35 instances of nursing home employees dehumanizing residents on social media networks; uploading pictures of residents […]
Group Home Workers Found Guilty of Endangering Residents
Two former Direct Service Assistant’s at Melville Estates, a state run group home for the mentally disabled, were convicted of Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person. James P. Brown Jr. was found guilty of violently and aggressively punching a 53 year old developmentally disabled resident at a bench trial before Suffolk […]
N.Y. Nursing Home Workers Convicted Of Crimes After Resident Death And Attempted Cover-Up
An investigation conducted by Attorney General Schneiderman’s office resulted in the arrest of nine nurses in connection with the death and attempted cover up of the death of Aurelia Rios, a 72 year old nursing home resident at Medford Multicare Center for Living in 2012. A dual-jury trial took place in July 2015 in Suffolk County Court. […]
Nursing Aid Arrested for Causing Injury to Resident and Trying to Cover it up
Certified Nurse Assistant, Fiona Jennings, was arrested on charges of endangering the welfare of a nursing home resident at Schuyler Ridge Residential Healthcare. The resident was a 74 year old woman prone to falls due to her recent knee fracture. Jennings failed to properly care for the resident resulting in bruising and swelling to her […]
New York Ranked in the Bottom Ten for Nursing Home Quality
Nursing Home Compare is the federal government’s rating system for long-term care facilities eligible for coverage under Medicare. The website recently underwent an overhaul over the past year when Medicare placed stricter requirements for each rating category. The current system uses a 5-star quality rating system. Previously, many nursing homes had 4 or even 5 […]
A.G. Schneiderman Prosecutes Nurse’s Aid for Violent N.Y. Nursing Home Abuse
After a long investigation conducted by the Office of Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Division of Criminal Justice, A.G. Schneiderman announced charges against a former nursing home employee who allegedly beat a N.Y. nursing home resident. Renee Geloso was a Certified Nurse’s Aide at Valley Health Services, located in Herkimer, New York. […]
Nursing Home Nurse Arrested for Stealing Narcotics from Facility’s Pain Medication Supply
A supervising nurse at the Campbell Hall Rehabilitation Center has been arrested for stealing narcotics from the emergency supply cabinet at the nursing home. Terri Stephens-Traverse was the supervising nurse at the Campbell Hall Rehabilitation Center in early 2013 when she began stealing oxycodone pills. The nursing home is located in Orange County in the […]
Criminal Charges Result from Bronx Nursing Home Death
CBS News brings us this disturbing story from a Bronx County nursing home: An aide at a Bronx nursing home is facing charges in connection with the death of a 77-year-old patient. According to law enforcement sources, the fight that broke out between the aide and the victim was so intense that witnesses told police […]
Elder-against-Elder Abuse in Nursing Homes
When we discuss civil liability that can arise from care of elders in a nursing home, we typically describe such negligence as inadequate living conditions, negligent nurses and orderlies, ignorance of medical needs, even physical, emotional, and verbal abuse. Often, it’s exactly this kind of behavior from nursing home owners and employees that leads to […]
Long Island Nursing Home Fined After Resident Chokes to Death
Woodhaven Nursing Home, located in Suffolk County, was fined $21,937.50 by the Department of Health after an unsupervised resident choked on a sandwich in December, 2013. The resident was allowed to eat unsupervised despite being a known choking risk due to underlying conditions including dysphagia and impaired cognition. The nursing home had also implemented an […]
Department of Health Fines Monroe Nursing Home Almost $78,000 for Medication Error
Following a December, 2013 certification survey during which the Department of Health found a significant medication error, Hill Haven, an upstate New York nursing home, has been fined $77,935.00. The fine comes in the form of a Federal Civil Money Penalty, used by state and federal governments when a nursing home does not adhere to […]
Second Department Finds Potentially Inflammatory Language Relevant to Matter in Brooklyn Nursing Home Action
A case recently decided by the Supreme Court Appellate Division, Second Department, shines some light on the extent that a nursing home defendant will go in order to have language excised from a lawsuit that is not to its liking. The Appellate Court denied them the opportunity to strike the language, but it is a […]
Summary Judgment Motion for Queens Nursing Home Denied by Supreme Court
In February, the Supreme Court, Queens County denied the summary judgment motion of defendant Flushing Manor Care Center in an action claiming violations of the New York Public Health Law. The Court, in its opinion, noted that the differing expert affidavits of plaintiff and defendant precluded a finding of summary judgment. The plaintiff was admitted […]
Nurse Charged With Accidently Giving a Patient Morphine and Falsifying Medical Records to Cover Up Her Mistake
The New York State Attorney General has announced the unsealing of a felony indictment against Vicki Price charging her with a range of crimes in connection with the accidental overdose of a patient at the nursing home where Price was a nurse. When an indictment is sealed it is available to the public. Indictements may […]
Nurse Accused of Switching Oxycodone For Allergy Pills in Ulster Care Home
In September the Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced that Amy DeAngelis-Martin a licensed practical nurse was arrested on charges including Endangering the Welfare of an Incompetent or Physically Disabled Person in the First Degree. DeAngelis-Martin was employed as a nurse at the Northeast Center for Special Care in the Town of Ulster, New York. […]
Two Certified Nurse’s Aides at the Terrace View Long Term Care Facility in Buffalo Charged with Abuse and Neglect
In September the NYS Attorney General’s office announced that two certified nurse’s aides at the Erie County Medical Center Skilled Nursing Facility in Buffalo, which has recently changed its name to the Terrace View Long Term Care Facility, have been charged with neglecting an elderly resident of the facility. Donna Laury and Nakeia Green were […]
Discussing the Legality of Nursing Home Surveillance
It is difficult to ignore the continuous flow of headlines regarding nursing home abuse. It has become a prevalent issue across the U.S. However, imagine the number of cases that go unreported. Many times incidents of abuse and neglect are brought to light because of video surveillance. We have seen an increase in the number […]
Attorney General Reaches $2.2M Settlement with New Rochelle Nursing Home after Fraudulent Billing
Eric T. Schneiderman, New York State Attorney General, reached a settlement in August with Glen Island Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, a Westchester County nursing home, after allegations arose that the facility defrauded Medicaid. The fraudulent billing stemmed from services that in some cases were actually performed by the nursing home, but at inflated prices. […]
Nassau County Nursing Home Cited for 19 Deficiencies
Parkview Care and Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home in Massapequa, Long Island, was cited in an April Department of Health certification survey for nineteen deficiencies. The most serious of these deficiencies resulted in “actual harm” to a resident. A finding of actual harm is the second most serious level of severity that the DOH assesses […]
Office Worker Stole Over $45K from Nursing Home Residents
Johnna Scanlon-Howland, a former office worker at the Sunrise Nursing Home, a facility located in Oswego, New York, was convicted in July 2013 of stealing $45,363 from the resident trust account at the nursing home. Investigators from the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) stated that Scanlon-Howland falsified business records to make unauthorized withdrawals from […]
Study: NY Nursing Homes Failed to Meet Federal Goal to Reduce Use of Antipsychotics
The Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC), an advocacy group that promotes the improvement of nursing home care, released a report in April 2014 about the use of antipsychotic medications in New York nursing facilities. The study, titled “Antipsychotic Drug Use in NY State Nursing Homes: An Assessment of New York’s Progress in the National […]
Unsupervised Patient Dies While Eating at New York Nursing Home. Glengariff Health Care Fined over $22k.
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) fined Glengariff Health Care Center, a 262-bed facility located in Glen Cove, New York, $22,879 for numerous deficiencies that contributed to the death of a 65-year-old resident. The affected resident had suffered from a stroke and was also diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and dysphagia, a medical condition […]
N.Y. Health Inspectors: Nursing Home Failed to Provide Appropriate Care to Respiratory Patients Requiring Oxygen
In response to a complaint made in August 2013 against St. Luke’s Home, a 202-bed nursing home located in Utica, New York, officials from the New York State Department of Health (DOH) determined that the facility failed to provide appropriate care to residents suffering from respiratory illnesses. One affected resident had suffered from a stroke […]
Upstate Nursing Home Fined $44K for Multiple Deficiencies Related to Poor Care of Residents
The Washington Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare, a 122-bed facility located in Argyle, New York, was fined $44,000 in February 2014 for numerous deficiencies related to quality-of-care provided by the nursing home. The fine is the result of Department of Health (DOH) inspections conducted in 2011. Formerly known as Pleasant Valley, the Washington Center was […]
Two Westchester Nursing Home Employees Arrested for Allegedly Neglecting Dementia Patient
Two employees of the New York State Veterans Home at Montrose, a 252-bed facility located in Westchester County, were arrested in June 2014 for allegedly neglecting an elderly dementia patient under their care. The employees apparently tried to cover up their neglect by falsifying the patient’s medical records. Licensed practical nurse (LPN) Joyce Opoku, 41, […]
Nursing Home in Troy Received 93 Percent More Citations than Other NY Facilities
According to the New York State Department of Health (DOH) website, the Diamond Hill Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, a 120-bed facility located in Troy, New York, received 93 percent more health citations than other New York nursing care facilities. On average, most New York nursing homes received 2.2 citations per 100 occupied beds; however, Diamond […]
Nursing Home Fined $5K after Unsupervised Alzheimer’s Patient Chokes to Death
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) fined the Loretto Health & Rehabilitation Center, a 585-bed facility located in Syracuse, New York, $5,000 after an unsupervised Alzheimer’s patient choked to death. According to the DOH report about the incident, the resident was admitted into the facility on July 16, 2012 after she underwent hip-repair […]
Nursing Facility Fined Over $6K for Multiple and Chronic Deficiencies that Placed Residents in Immediate Jeopardy
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) fined the Westgate Nursing Home, a 124-bed facility located in Rochester, New York, $6,338 for numerous deficiencies that placed many residents in immediate jeopardy. Some deficiencies were repeat violations that the facility was cited for during previous inspections. In June 2013, a DOH report revealed that the […]
Employees of Medford Multicare Nursing Home Indicted on Charges Related to Patient’s Death
A Suffolk County grand jury handed down a 46 count indictment against six employees of the Medford Multicare Center for Living, a 320-bed nursing facility in Medford, New York. The indictment alleges that the employees neglected a patient who died under their care. It also charges at least six employees with abuse, falsifying business records, […]
Nursing Home Resident Dies after Staff Member Fails to Administer CPR
An inspection report in July 2013 by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) revealed that a resident of Hornell Gardens, a 114-bed nursing facility located in Hornell, New York, died after a licensed practical nurse (LPN) failed to administer CPR after the resident was found without a pulse and was “gasping for air.” […]
DOH Officials: Nursing Home Failed to Take Appropriate Action against Employee who Allegedly Stole Patients’ Medications
In November 2013, the NYS DOH cited Rosewood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, an 80-bed nursing home located in Rensselaer, New York, for failing to take appropriate actions against a licensed practical nurse who may have diverted narcotics from patients for her own personal use. The investigation concluded that the problem was “widespread” and place residents […]
Long Island Nursing Home Receives Numerous Citations for Failing to Identify Patients with Do-Not-Resuscitate Orders
Per a recent New York State Department of Health (DOH) survey, Avalon Gardens Rehabilitation & Health Center, a 353-bed Smithtown, Long Island nursing home facility, failed to have a proper system in place to quickly determine if a patient had a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) in place. The DOH stated that the situation was widespread and placed […]
Highpointe on Michigan Health Care Facility Received 67 Percent More Citations than Most NY Nursing Homes
According to the New York State Health Department’s website, the Highpointe on Michigan Health Care Facility, a 300-bed nursing home in Buffalo, New York, received 67 percent more citations than other state nursing homes. From April 2010 through March 2014, the Department of Health (DOH) received 119 complaints about the facility. On average, the state […]
Hidden Camera Investigation Leads to 17 Arrests of Nursing Home Employees Charged with Neglecting Patient
Seventeen employees of the Highpointe on Michigan Health Care Facility in Buffalo, New York were arrested and charged in April 2014 with neglecting a 56-year-old resident under their care. The male patient suffers from Huntington chorea, a neurological disease that makes him bedridden and totally dependent on staff members for his care. The eight nurses […]
Nursing Home Advocates Urge States to Use Civil Monetary Penalties to Improve Residential Care
What was the Original Purpose of Civil Monetary Penalties? In 1986, Congress passed the Nursing Home Reform Act, which allowed the federal government the authority to issue financial penalties against nursing homes that failed to comply with standards of care required by Medicare and Medicaid. In 1995, the federal government implemented the use of civil […]
Aide Faces Possible Prison Time after Being Charged with Injuring Quadriplegic Nursing Home Resident
Jolly Stewart, 55, a former certified nurse’s aide at the now-closed John J. Foley Skilled Nursing Facility in Suffolk County, New York, was arrested and charged in April 2014 for injuring a 57-year-old quadriplegic patient under her care. Appearing before a judge in Suffolk County District Court, Stewart, a Middle Island resident, was charged with […]
Report: Mandatory Managed Care in New York May Lead to Poor Care in Nursing Homes
According to a 2013 study conducted by The Long Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC), an organization dedicated to improving nursing home care in New York, the state’s new Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) policy may reduce the overall quality of care in nursing homes. The report, titled “Mandatory Managed Care in New York State Nursing […]
Investigators: Rochester Home Health Agency Fraudulently Billed Medicaid for $2.5 Million
The New York State Attorney General’s office and Home Health Care of Rochester (HCR), which employs 600 people, reached a $2.5 million settlement in January 2014 after investigators from the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) discovered that the healthcare agency fraudulently billed Medicaid over a period of four years. As part of the settlement, HCR […]
Attorney General: Rome Nursing Home Discriminated Against African-American Employees to Accommodate Racist Patient
The New York State Attorney General’s office reached a settlement in March 2014 with the Betsy Ross Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rome, New York after an investigation revealed that the facility discriminated against numerous African-American employees in order to accommodate the requests of a racist patient. According to the Attorney General’s office, a resident […]
AG: Hidden Camera Investigation Led to the Arrest of 10 Nursing Home Employees Charged with Neglecting Double-Amputee
Ten employees of the Blossom North Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Rochester, New York were arrested in March 2014 for allegedly failing to provide adequate care to an elderly resident who was a double-amputee. According to the New York Attorney General’s office, six nurses and four nursing assistants faced a variety of charges, including Falsifying […]
Syracuse Nursing home with Long History of Substandard Care to be Converted into Apartments
Rosewood Heights, a Syracuse nursing home that houses 242 beds in a six story building, is slated to be shut down and converted into an apartment building in 2014. In March 2012, the nursing home was placed on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s (CMS) Special Focus Facility (SFF) list for providing poor care […]
New Owner Takes Over Upstate Nursing Home with History of Providing Poor Care
A private company, the Upstate Services Group, purchased the Van Duyn Home and Hospital in November 2013 from Onondaga County for $5 million. Known as the “safety net” home for poor patients who can’t afford to go elsewhere, the 513- bed facility was placed on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service’s (CMS) Special Focus […]