Highland Care Center received 31 citations for violations of public health laws between 2015 and 2019, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on January 10, 2020. The Jamaica nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of three surveys by state inspectors. The deficiencies they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not provide adequate (bedsore) pressure ulcer care. Section 483.25 of the Federal Code requires nursing homes to ensure that residents receive “care, consistent with professional standards of practice, to prevent pressure ulcers and does not develop pressure ulcers unless the individual’s clinical condition demonstrates that they were unavoidable.” A May 2019 citation found that Highland Care Center did not ensure a resident with a pressure ulcer received adequate care. An inspector specifically found that the resident’s pressure-relieving device for their foot/leg ulcer was “missing” and “not in place.” A Certified Nursing Aide stated in an interview that the resident’s heel booties had been sent to the laundry and should have been returned the following day, but when she checked the laundry they weren’t there; “she did not report this to her nurse,” the citation states. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included nursing staff in-service education and the provision of new heel booties to the resident.
2. The nursing home did not maintain resident drugs regimens free of unnecessary drugs. Under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code, nursing homes must ensure resident drug regimens are free from unnecessary drugs. A May 2016 citation found that a resident at Highland Care Center who was on an antipsychotic medication “did not receive gradual dose reductions to see if the medication could be reduced or discontinued.” The citation found that the resident received no psychiatry consult to evaluate the monitoring of the medication, and was additionally not evaluated for a gradual dose reduction or an attempt for such. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the resident’s re-evaluation by the psychiatrist and adjustments to her medication.
3. The nursing home did not ensure proper pain management care was provided to residents. Section 483.25 of the Federal code requires nursing homes to ensure residents who require pain management services are provided such in a manner “consistent with professional standards of practice, the comprehensive person-centered care plan, and the residents’ goals and preferences.” A May 2019 citation found that Highland Care Center did not provided proper pain management to a resident who required it. An inspector specifically found that one of the facility’s Licensed Practical Nurses did not administer a resident’s prescribed pain medication before conducting a wound dressing change. According to the citation, the resident was supposed to receive two Tylenol tablets prior to the dressing change, but the LPN who performed the change in question did not provide the resident with such, stating that the resident only receives medication during a different shift. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the in-service education of facility LPNs and Registered Nurses.
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.
