(914) 220-1086Hill Haven Nursing Home suffered 16 fatalities from Covid-19 as of July 12, 2020, state records report. The nursing home also received 29 citations over violations of public health code between 2016 and 2020, according to health records accessed on July 13, 2020. The Webster nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of seven surveys by state inspectors. The violations they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not adequately protect residents from neglect. Section 483.12 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must ensure residents are kept free from abuse and neglect. A November 2019 citation found that Hill Haven Nursing Home did not ensure such for one resident. The citation states specifically that the resident “did not receive incontinence care, positioning, or bedtime care for two consecutive shifts resulting in skin issues.” After a Certified Nursing Assistant reported to a Licensed Practical Nurse that it appeared the resident had not received care—that the resident “was still sitting in the chair, wearing the same clothes as the previous day, and was soaked with urine and feces through the incontinence brief and the pants”—the Registered Nurse Manager initiated an investigation and found that the resident had not received care over two shifts and “remained in the chair all nigh.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the re-education and disciplining of relevant staff.
2. The nursing home did not adequately protect residents from accidents. Section 483.25 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must ensure resident environments are kept as free as possible of accident hazards, and that residents are provided with adequate supervision to prevent accidents. A July 2019 citation found that Hill Haven Nursing Home did not ensure such. The citation specifically describes a resident who “rolled out of bed and was found with his legs resting on the baseboard heater that was next to his bed” and sustained a redacted injury to hi slower extremities. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the relocation of the resident to another room with a bed that was further from the baseboard heater.
3. An April 2018 citation also found that Hill Haven Nursing Home did not take adequate accident-prevention measures. The citation states specifically that the facility did not provide adequate supervision and assistant devices to residents on aspiration precautions. It describes a resident whose care plan interventions included constant supervision while eating; in one observation, the resident “was noted to have a wet cough on two occasions, and the staff did not check on him.” In an interview, the facility’s Registered Nurse Clinical Coordinator “stated that it was never okay to leave a resident on aspiration precautions alone in their room to eat because they could choke or aspirate and the staff would not be aware.” The citation describes this deficiency as having the “potential to cause more than minimal harm” to residents.
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.
