New Riverdale Rehab and Nursing has received 27 citations for violations of public health code between 2018 and 2021, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on February 18, 2022. The Bronx nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of six surveys by state inspectors. The deficiencies they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not adequately prevent accidents. Under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code, nursing homes must ensure residents receive adequate supervision and assistance devices to prevent accidents. An April 2021 citation found that New Riverdale Rehab and Nursing failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes an instance in which an employee failed to “check the water temperature prior to spraying the resident with water during a shower.” As such, the resident sustained a burn that “resulted in actual harm.” In an interview, the facility’s Administrator stated that an investigation determined the employee “was negligent in showering resident by not checking the water temperature to ensure the temperature was employee.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the suspension and termination of the employee, as well as the education of certified nursing assistants regarding checking water temperatures.
2. The nursing home did not adequately ensure nursing staff were prepared to attend to residents’ behavioral health needs. Under Section 483.40 of the Federal Code, nursing homes are required to “have sufficient staff who provide direct services to residents with the appropriate competencies and skills sets to provide nursing and related services,” including competencies and skill sets related to caring for residents with mental and psychosocial disorders. An October 2019 citation found that New Riverdale Rehab and Nursing failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the nursing home “did not ensure that all nursing staff were in-service in the area of Dementia care.” It goes on to state that an in-service sheet for behavior management care “did not include the signatures of all Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN).” In an interview, the facility’s Director of Nursing Services stated that staff are required to complete dementia care in-services on at least an annual basis, but “the challenge is to get all of the staff to attend at one time.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the provision of education and training to all staff.
3. The nursing home did not adequately dispose of garbage. Section 483.60 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must “dispose of garbage and refuse properly.” An April 2021 citation found that New Riverdale Rehab and Nursing failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the facility’s “garbage compactor door was observed to be opened on multiple occasions,” in contravention of facility policy stipulating that “all garbage containers must be covered with [a] tight fitting lid or cover.” In an interview, the facility’s Assistant Food Service Director stated that “the garbage compactor with the door left open is for cardboard” and that “all compactor doors should be kept closed.” In a separate interview, the facility’s Director of Facilities Management added that facility staff are expected to keep compactor doors closed, but that the facility’s compactors “are not monitored on a daily basis to ensure that they are kept closed.”
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.
