Two Orange County nursing homes have been fined for care (or lack therof) that resulted in the wrongful death of two residents. At Alamitos West, an 82 year-old resident died from dehydration after the nursing home failed to provide sufficient fluids. Investigators found that intake and output records were blank and/or illegible over the course of the resident’s admission.
Staff at Huntington Valley Nursing Home failed to resuscitate a resident because they mistakenly believed that a Do Not Resuscitate order was on file. In fact, the resident’s chart indicated that the family specifically requested that CPR be administered if necessary. By the time paramedics arrived, the resident had passed away.
As a result of these incidents, Alamitos West was fined $100,000 and Huntington Valley was fined $80,000.
Website Resources:
2 Orange County nursing homes fined for patient deaths, Los Angeles Times, Rong-Gong Lin II, June 11, 2009
