Emerge Nursing and Rehabilitation at Glen Cove received 14 citations for violations of public health code between 2017 and 2021, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on August 14, 2021. The Glen Cove nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of five surveys by state inspectors. 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 an environment as free as possible of accident hazards and with adequate supervision to prevent accidents. A February 2021 citation found that Emerge Nursing and Rehabilitation at Glen Cove failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the nursing home left “numerous chemical agents… unattended or unsecured” in two resident units. The cleaning chemicals in question included Fresh Scent Deodorizer Concentrate, Non-Acid Disinfectant Bathroom Cleaner, Glass Cleaner and Protector Concentrate, HB Quad Disinfectant Cleaner Concentrate, Peroxide Cleaner Concentrate, Lysol Foaming, and Lemon Polish. In an interview, the facility’s Director of Housekeeping said the items “should not have been left unsecured” and “were potentially hazardous to residents if ingested.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the in-servicing of a housekeeper.
2. Emerge Nursing and Rehabilitation at Glen Cove also received a citation for accident prevention deficiencies in October 2020. According to this citation, the nursing home did not ensure residents received adequate assistance devices to prevent accidents, as required by Section 483.25 of the Federal Code. The citation states specifically that the facility did not install padded side rails to a resident’s bed, as the resident’s physician had ordered, and that this failure “resulted in a minor injury.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the counseling of nursing aides who failed to follow the resident’s plan of care.
3. The nursing home did not adequately investigate or otherwise respond to an accident. Section 483.12 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must investigate all allegations of abuse or neglect, take necessary steps while investigating incidents to prevent further incidents, and report each investigation’s results to designated authorities within a designated timeframe. An October 2020 citation found that Emerge Nursing and Rehabilitation at Glen Cove failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that after a resident sustained an incident in which she was “observed with [her] face leaning on the nightstand” and her legs hanging on the side of her bed after apparently trying to get out of it, staff did not conduct a thorough investigation of the incident. According to the facility’s Director of Nursing, “investigation was not thorough due to the missing statement from the maintenance worker and the time sequence of events that resulted in” the resident’s injury. When the accident and incident report was later reopened, the citation states, it “revealed that during the unit transfer the resident was placed back to bed” before padded side rails were re-installed on the bed. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the counseling and education of the facility’s Nurse Educator “on failure to conduct a thorough investigation during interview process.”
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.