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Cobble Hill Health Center has received 22 citations for violations of public health code between 2018 and 2022, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on March 19, 2022. The Brooklyn nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of five surveys by state inspectors. The deficiencies 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 provide residents with adequate supervision to prevent accidents. A December 2021 citation found that Cobble Hill Health Center failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes who was “allowed Out on Pass (OOP) unescorted without a safety assessment or physician’s orders.” The resident did not return to the nursing home at the end of the day, the citation states, noting that the facility “was unable to locate” them. The facility received a call from a hospital reporting that the resident had fallen at home and was admitted, said the citation, adding that “there was no documented evidence” in the resident’s medical record that they had been assessed to determine the risk of leaving the facility unescorted. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the education of nursing staff on out-on-pass orders.
2. The nursing home did not employ adequate infection-prevention measures. Section 483.80 of the Federal Code states that nursing homes must design and maintain a program to prevent the development and spread of disease. A December 2021 citation found that Cobble Hill Health Center failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes a Certified Nursing Assistant who was observed “using a blood pressure cuff (BPC) on multiple residents without sanitizing the BPC and hands between residents.” In an interview, the facility’s infection preventionist stated that shared devices like blood pressure cuffs “are to be sanitized and given 3 minutes in between each resident use,” and further that “Staff are to don gloves and perform hand hygiene and change gloves in between each resident when using a shared device.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the re-education of the CNA in question.
3. The nursing home did not follow food safety protocols. Under Section 483.60 of the Federal Code, nursing homes must store food “in accordance with professional standards for food service safety.” A December 2021 citation found that Cobble Hill Health Center failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that “undated and expired food was observed in the Kitchen and Storage Room.” he items in question included packages of sliced ham deli meat, packages of smoked ham deli meat, and packages of turkey breast deli meat observed in a refrigerator. The citation also describes a cook’s refrigerator that included two undated packages of raw pork, undated plastic bins of cut vegetables, and undated packages of ground turkey. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the discarding of undated or expired food and the re-education of kitchen staff.
The attorneys at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC work diligently to protect the rights of nursing home residents. Please contact our nursing home abuse attorney to discuss in the event you have a potential case involving neglect or abuse.
