Three nursing home employees in Nassau County have been arrested in connection with the death of nursing home resident at A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility. Registered nurses, Sijimole Reji and Annieamma Augustine and certified nurse aide, Martine Morland were charged with neglect and endangerment of a resident. The patient relied on a mechanical ventilator to breathe and was completely dependent on the facility’s staff.
On December 20, 2015, the wheelchair bound resident became disconnected from her ventilator, setting off audio and visual alarms to alert staff of a life-threatening situation. The three employees were at the nursing station when the alarms sounded, however they did not immediately respond. Staff ignored the resident’s alarm for over nine minutes before they attempted to provide assistance to the patient. The resident was found unresponsive and unconscious; she was then transferred to Nassau University Medical Center, where she died the next day.
The defendants pled not guilty to Endangering the Welfare of a Vulnerable Elderly Person, or an Incompetent or Physically Disabled in the First Degree in Nassau County First District Court and Willful Violation of Health Laws. If convicted, each could face up to seven years in prison.
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman, stated these allegations display blatant neglect and resulted in the death of a patient. He continued to say his office will “hold accountable those medical professionals and others who knowingly ignore a patient’s basic needs or recklessly place any nursing home resident in a life-threatening situation.”
the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC is a law firm dedicated to holding nursing homes accountable for abuse. If you or a loved one has experienced abuse in a nursing home, please contact the dedicated and caring nursing home abuse attorneys.
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