Fifty-four year old Maureen Flowers, a certified nurse aide at the Tarrytown Hall Care Center in Westchester, was arrested in July 2013 for allegedly causing the 2012 death of an 86-year-old disabled patient under her care. Flowers, charged with Manslaughter and Criminally Negligent Homicide, faces up to 15 years behind bars if convicted. On February […]
Nursing Home Violations
Three Local Nursing Homes Must Pay for Medicaid Over-Billing
The Medicaid Inspector General has ordered that three New York area nursing homes must repay the government agency for miscalculated payments made to the respective facilities, reports the New York Daily News. Eastchester Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center and Morris Park Nursing Home (both located in the Bronx), and Sands Point Center for Health and Rehabilitation […]
New York State Department of Health Releases Latest List of Enforcements
Recently the New York State Department of Health released its latest update of fines against New York nursing homes. Most of the more recent violations resulting in fines have been covered here in previous blog posts. Unfortunately, many of the original violation dates leading to the fines listed on the enforcement log pre-date the oldest […]
Queens Nursing Home Fined $12,000 by Department of Health for Medication Error that Resulting in Resident’s Death
The N.Y.S. Department of Health reported that it had fined Parker Jewish Institute for Health Care and Rehab, a Queens nursing home, twelve thousand dollars. The fine stems from an incident discovered by the DOH during an inspection in July, 2011. During the July inspection, investigators gave the facility the most severe rating in two […]
Fall Results In Fractured Hip: Brooklyn Nursing Home Cited for Actual Harm to Patient
After a survey conducted in February, 2013 at Norwegian Christian Home and Health Center, a Brooklyn, NY nursing home, the Department of Health issued a report finding actual harm to a resident. Actual harm is the second most severe rating grade that the DOH issues in its citations, surpassed only by Immediate Jeopardy. The Department […]
NYSDOH: Brooklyn Nursing Home Fails to Prevent Bedsores
On January 8, 2013, the Department of Health cited Bishop Henry B. Hucles Episcopal Nursing Home for numerous violations of health regulations. Among these was a violation of Title 42 section 483.25(c) of the Code of Federal Regulations, which deals with prevention and treatment of pressure sores. This section of the Code mandates that the […]
Westchester Nursing Home Pays $12,000 Fine to Department of Health
Andrus on Hudson, a nursing home located in Hastings-on-Hudson, Westchester agreed to pay a $12,000 fine to the Department of Health. The fine, according to lohud.com, stems from an incident in 2011 in which a resident died while suffering from cardiac arrest. The lohud article cites the date of the incident as May 5, however […]
Closed Florida Nursing Home Had Been Opened by Convicted Felons
The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is reporting that Harmony Healthcare Nursing Home, which had its doors shut in 2011, was opened and operated by two men convicted of Medicaid fraud in New York in 1979. The nursing home was closed amid findings of widespread immediate jeopardy to its residents. An investigation conducted by the newspaper found that […]
Somers Manor Nursing Home Cited for Failure to Prevent Pressure Ulcers
A Department of Health certification survey dated December 21, 2012 cites Somers Manor Nursing Home, in Westchester County, for six health inspection deficiencies. Among the deficiencies noted by the Department of Health was failure to properly prevent or heal bedsores (pressure sores, pressure ulcers). A facility must ensure that residents who enter without pressure ulcers […]
Nursing Home Aide Arrested for Secretly Photographing Resident
In a press release dated March 8 of this year, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the arrest of a Certified Nurse’s Aide from the Woodhaven Center in Port Jefferson, Long Island. The Suffolk County nursing home staffer was accused of taking a picture of the resident’s genitals without the resident’s permission. Having taken […]
Brooklyn Nursing Home Fails to Keep Drug Regimen Free from Unnecessary Drugs
Bushwick Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare, a nursing home located in Brooklyn, NY, was cited by the Department of Health in a December, 2012 deficiency report for several violations of the Code of Federal Regulations. Among these failures was the facility’s duty to keep a resident’s drug regimen free from unnecessary drugs. In relevant excerpts […]
Dutchess Nursing Home Fined $24,000 for Deficient Ratings by Health Department After Choking Incident
As a result of the latest enforcement survey issued by the Department of Health, Wingate at Beacon, a Dutchess county nursing home, was fined $24,000. During a January, 2011 certification survey at Wingate, the DOH found four deficiencies serious enough to warrant a severity level of Immediate Jeopardy. This is the most severe rating that […]
Department of Health Fines Brooklyn Nursing Home $10,000
The New York State Department of Health recently released its statement of enforcements for the period of July, 2011 through December, 2012. The document lists fines levied against nursing homes and similar facilities throughout the period. The fines are the result of certification surveys taken over a span of several years prior to the enforcement […]
Spring Creek Rehab Receives Citation For Failing to Treat Bedsores
Brooklyn nursing home Spring Creek Rehabilitation and Nursing Care Center made news in September of last year when the Department of Health cited it for failure to prevent and/or heal bedsores (sometimes called pressure sores, pressure ulcers or decubitus ulcers). The finding involved one resident, with the DOH noting that the failure created the potential […]
Resident Chokes to Death at Morris Park Nursing Home in the Bronx
A Bronx long-term-care facility, Morris Park Nursing Home, was recently cited and fined $10,000.00 by the New York State Department of Health. The citation and fine are the result of an incident where a 68 year-old resident choked to death during dinner. Under state and federal law, nursing homes must ensure that the resident environment […]
Brooklyn (NYC) Nursing Home Deficient in Two Areas of Medicine Distribution
Sea-Crest Health Care Center, a Brooklyn based nursing home, was cited by the Department of Health in March of this year for two areas of deficiency. Both of these areas of sub-standard care involved medicinal distribution. More specifically, the facility failed to provide drugs and biologicals, and failed to keep residents free from significant medical […]
Brooklyn Nursing Home Fined $24,000 for Placing Residents in Immediate Jeopardy
Brooklyn’s Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing was fined $24,000 in August 2011 for several incidents that placed its residents in immediate jeopardy, according to the Department of Health. These four violations were cited amongst numerous other less serious offenses in the survey taken in January of the previous year. The major citations contained in the […]
Brooklyn Nursing Home Cited for Failure to Deliver Mail in a Timely Manner
In a report released April 27, 2012, the Department of Health released its deficiency report for Brooklyn United Methodist Church Home. Amongst several failures in the area of disaster preparedness, the report details that the facility failed to promptly deliver mail to its residents. This right is manifested in the Code of Federal Regulations, 483.10(i)(1). […]
Nassau County Nursing Home Cited By DOH For Failing To Develop Care Plan For Suicide
Grace Plaza Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a Great Neck, Long Island Nursing Home, was the subject of a recent Department of Health deficiency survey. The survey cited more than twenty violations, ranging from care plan development to structural issues within the building. As we have noted previously on this blog, the purpose of a care […]
Manhattanville Health Care Center Found Deficient In Pressure Ulcer Prevention And Care
Manhattanville Health Care Center, a Bronx nursing home, was documented in a Department of Health Deficiency Survey for failure to provide proper treatment to prevent and/or heal pressure sores. As we have discussed many times on this blog, pressure ulcers are a grave health risk to elderly individuals; they can lead to a variety of […]
New York Nursing Home Attorney Report: Bronx Nursing Home Cited For Falsification of Records
Split Rock Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, a nursing home located in the Bronx, was cited in a 2010 Department of Health Deficiency Survey for failing to accurately maintain clinical records documenting care provided. The DOH noted several failures to comply with CFR 483.75(l)(1), which provides that clinical records for each resident must be, among […]
Scarsdale, NY Nursing Home Receives Deficiency From Department of Health For Medication Error
In February of this year, Sprain Brook Manor Nursing Home in Scarsdale, NY, was cited by the NYS Department of Health for deficiencies stemming from an investigation prompted by a family’s complaints. Among the deficiencies noted by the DOH in its survey was a failure to inform the resident and his or her family of […]
Smithtown Nursing Home Cited for Deficiencies by NYS Department of Health
Saint Catherine of Siena Nursing and Rehabilitation Care Center, located in Smithtown, NY, was cited for deficiencies in a Department of Health survey dated February 12, 2012. Two areas in particular for which the facility received substandard ratings involved medication errors and maintenance. According to federal regulations, a facility must ensure that it maintains a […]
Stony Brook Nursing Home Cited By NYS DOH For Multiple Deficiencies
Long Island State Veterans Home, a Suffolk County nursing home located in Stony Brook, NY, was cited in an August, 2011 deficiency report by the Department of Health for multiple deficiencies. Included among these citations were a failure to provide ADL care to dependent residents and a failure to establish an infection control program. According […]
Government Report Documents Under-Reporting of Hospital Errors
A study recently released by the Department of Health and Human Services reports that as few as one out of seven Medicare patients harmed by medical errors and accidents during hospitalizations are reported. The study, performed by HHS inspector general Daniel R. Levinson, claims that the primary cause of the under-reporting is that many hospital […]
N.Y. Nursing Home Fall Attorney Report: Rockland Nursing Home Cited in May Deficiency Report
Northern Riverview Health Care Center in Haverstraw, NY was cited in a Department of Health Deficiency Survey dated May 11, 2011. The DOH cited the facility for numerous violations, including failing to ensure that the facility was free of accident hazards, and failure to develop and implement written policies and procedures that prohibit mistreatment and/or […]
Center Moriches Nursing Home Fails To Safeguard Resident Information
The New York State Department of Health published results of a survey dated June 13, 2011 in which Cedar Lodge Nursing Home, located in Center Moriches in Suffolk County, received substandard results in several areas. Sections 483.75(l)(3) and 483.20(f)(5) of CFR Title 42 discuss standards for record keeping and maintenance. The importance of safeguarding records […]
Suffolk County Nursing Home Cited for Multiple Deficiencies
In a certification survey from January of this year, the Department of Health cited Suffolk Center for Nursing and Rehab, a Patchogue, New York nursing home, for multiple deficiencies. Included in the DOH report were lack of proficiency of nurse’s aides, and failure to ensure that residents are free from medication errors. The survey found […]
Rockland County Nursing Home Fined $24,000 For Various Violations
Northern Riverview Health Care Center, Inc. in Rockland County, NY was fined $24,000 as a result of a Department of Health Certification Survey dated April 8, 2010. The survey noted no less than 14 deficiencies that contributed to the substantial fine. Among the shortcomings noted by the surveyors were failures with respect to comprehensive care […]
Long Beach, NY: Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing Fined by DOH
Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing in Long Beach, New York was fined for several deficiencies after surveys taken in January and July of last year. Among the numerous violations found during the survey were: CFR 483.7(h)(3) Corridors have firmly secured handrails. The study found that not only did the facility lack the requisite number of handrails, […]
Study Finds Black Residents More Likely To Develop Bedsores (Pressure Ulcers, Decubitis Ulcers)
A recent study conducted by the University of Iowa revealed that black nursing home residents are more likely than their white counterparts to develop bedsores (pressure ulcers, decubitis ulcers). In a five year study conducted at nursing homes throughout the country, researchers found that black residents were roughly five percent more likely to develop decubitus […]
Despite Regulations, Abuse Still Rampant in State-Run Group Homes
An investigation conducted over the past year by The New York Times highlights disturbing trends of abuse in group homes run for the mentally challenged and developmentally disabled. The emphasis of the survey, the lack of discipline imposed upon delinquent employees of such homes, underscores the importance of diligent oversight by not only authorities, but […]
New NYS DOH Certification Survey Published for Elant at Newburgh
A deficiency report published by the Department of Health on April 25, 2011 reveals that Elant at Newburgh, located in Orange County, NY, continues to violate patients’ rights with respect to its nursing home residents. The latest findings by the DOH range in scope from isolated incidents to patterns of abuse, and most have been […]
NY Bedsore Attorney Report: Jury Awards $5.4 Million in Staten Island Bedsore Suit
A jury has awarded $5.4 Million dollars to Robert Messina, a resident of Staten Island. The verdict stems from Messina’s development of pressure ulcers during several stays between Staten Island University Hospital and Golden Gate Rehabilitation and Health Care Center between 2006 and 2007. The jury found SIUH 75% responsible, and Golden Gate 25% responsible. […]
New York Nursing Home Attorney Report: New York Nursing Homes And Its Employees Cited For Neglect/Abuse
The Long Term Care Community Coalition recently released its report on New York enforcement actions for the period 12/16/10 – 3/15/11. Included in the report were the following instances of nursing home neglect and abuse: At Terence Cardinal Cooke HCC in Manhattan, LPN Coral Quintyne, gave methadone to the wrong resident, who had to be […]
Bronx, NY Nursing Home Aides Lie about Elopement of Schizophrenic Patient
Three nurse’s aides at Beth Abraham Health Services in the Bronx were arrested after failing to notice the elopement of a 64 year old schizophrenic patient in a wheelchair, and then attempting to cover-up the incident. Although police found the man approximately six hours later at a friend’s home, the aides at Beth Abraham allegedly […]
NY Bedsore Attorney Report: Queens Nursing Home Cited for Numerous Deficiencies
In a certification survey dated December 17, 2009 on the New York State Department of Health (DOH) website, Bishop Charles Waldo Maclean Nursing Home in the Far Rockaway section of Queens received numerous deficiences, ranging from pressure sore treatment to substandard overall safety measures. The surveyors found that the facility did not ensure that a […]
Elant at Newburgh Cited for Multiple Violations by Department of Health
The New York State Department of Health (DOH) has cited Elant at Newburgh in Orange County, NY of numerous violations of the state’s Public Health Laws. Graphic at times, the report chronicles the deficient care that several residents received throughout their stay at Elant. As this blog has noted several times in the past, Public […]
Fieldston Lodge Care Center Cited in Department of Health Deficiency Report
A Department of Health (DOH) study regarding the 2008 elopement of a 59 year old woman at Fieldston Lodge Care Center in Riverdale, NY found the facility’s measures to prevent such wanderings lacking. The patient, identified in the report as “Resident # 1,” entered the facility in November, 2007 with diagnoses ranging from Hypertension to […]
Northern Metropolitan (Rockland County, NY) Cited: Pressure Sore Prevention Lacking
Northern Metropolitan Nursing Home in Monsey, New York was recently cited by the New York State Department of Health for incidents involving residents that developed pressure sores (decubitus ulcers, bedsores) in late 2009. According to the statement of deficiency, inspectors discovered that three out of twenty-one residents surveyed developed pressure sores at the facility. Although […]
NY Bedsore Attorney Report: Pine Valley Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Receives Statement of Deficiency
Pine Valley Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Rockland County recently received a statement of deficiency for failing to properly prevent and heal pressure sores. An 80 year old woman was admitted to the facility on May 26th of last year. Upon her admission, the facility noted that she was at “high risk” for the […]
New York Bedsore Attorney Report: Gold Crest Nursing Home Receives Lowest Possible Rating From CMS
Gold Crest Nursing Home on Bruner Avenue, Bronx, NY has received a one out of five star rating (the lowest possible rating) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The rating is based on a combination of data compiled regarding each nursing home’s performance during a health inspection, staffing, and quality measures. Analysis […]
Westchester Nursing Home, Owner, Plead Guilty to Stealing $400,000 in Medicaid Funding by Inadequately Caring for Residents
Ossining-based nursing home Chandler Care Center and its owner, Samuel Klein, plead guilty in September 2002 to stealing $400,000 in Medicaid funding and failing to employ sufficient staff to provide appropriate care for its residents. The facility shut down in July 2001 after a Department of Health (DOH) inspection revealed that the facility, lacking air […]
Schenectady Nursing Home Pleads Guilty to Understaffing that Compromised Patient Care
Hallmark Nursing Centre, located in Schenectady, New York, pleaded guilty in June 2003 to falsifying business records and Willfully Violating the Public Health Laws by failing to provide enough staff to adequately care for its residents. Hallmark agreed to pay back $1 million in Medicaid funding. In addition, the owners, James Durante and Joseph Nichols, […]
New York Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Report: NYS Aide Forced To Surrender Her License After Causing Fall
Angela Zakrzewski, a certified nursing aide at Kaleida Health De Graff Memorial Hospital, a New York nursing home, was recently forced to surrender her C.N.A. certificate after being prosecuted by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the NYS Attorney General’s Office. Ms. Zakrzewski performed a one-person transfer of a 91 year-old resident with a mechanical […]
NY Nursing Home Neglect Attorney Report: Long Island Nursing Aide Punished For Improper Transfer And Documentation
Christine Butzbach, a former nurse’s aide at Medford Multicare Center Medford Butzbach, was recently punished for failing to abide by a care plan for transfers. Ms. Butzbach was reportedly seen bringing a resident and a Hoyer Lift into the resident’s room and then exiting the room with the Hoyer Lift. The witness told the resident’s […]
Long Island Man Left with Brain Damage After Nurses Ignore Alarm
Robert Knowles, a quadriplegic from East Yaphank, New York, was left with severe brain damage and a propensity for seizures after nurses at Medford Multicare Center on Long Island allegedly ignored an alarm that his ventilator had dislodged. A lawsuit filed by Knowles’ family alleges the injuries occurred after nurses waited for approximately 24 minutes […]
Two Rockland County Nursing Homes Receive Low Ratings From Medicare
Northern Riverview Health Care, a nursing home in Haverstraw, NY, recently received the lowest rating possible (one star out of a possible five) from the Centers For Medicare Services (CMS). In evaluating the facility, CMS found poor results in annual health inspections and low levels of staffing. Summit Park Nursing Home in Pomona, NY received […]
Grandell Rehabilitation Fined For Failing To Provide Adequate Supervision To Resident Known To Have Suicidal Ideations
Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Long Beach, NY was recently fined $32,207.50 by the Federal government stemming from a January 26, 2010 NYS Department of Health Complaint Survey. Surveyors found that the facility failed to provide medically related social services to attain the highest practicable, physical, mental and psychosocial well-being of each resident. Tragically, […]
Newburgh, New York: Elant At Newburgh Nursing Home Fined Heavily For Failing To Prevent Bedsores
Recently Elant at Newburgh, a New York nursing home facility, was cited for failing to identify and prevent the development of pressure ulcers (bedsore, decubitis ulcers) for those residents determined to be “at risk”, and failing to provide the necessary care and treatment for residents with pressure ulcers. Specifically, the facility failed to complete skin […]