Four additional employees at a Long Island, NY nursing home, Medford Multicare Center, have been arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a patient and falsifying business records in order to conceal neglect. Two of the arrests were made as part of the New York State Attorney General’s ongoing use of hidden cameras.
Attorney General Cuomo stated, “Today’s arrests highlight this office’s ongoing effort to investigate and prosecute individuals who shamelessly mistreat Long Island’s most vulnerable patients. My office will continue to use innovative techniques, including surveillance cameras, to expose and bring to justice anyone jeopardizing those who cannot care for themselves. Let me be clear that this is an ongoing, expanding investigation and the charges brought today underscore my commitment to protect elderly patients at nursing homes across the state.”
LPN Janet Coleman, 49, of Moriches, New York, allegedly, among other instances of neglect, allegedly falsified medical records to conceal the fact that she failed to provide treatment to a resident’s gastrostomy tube site. CNA, Marie Pierre, 35, of Elmont, New York, allegedly failed to perform Range of Motion exercises on a resident to prevent his muscles from contracting; failed to turn and position a resident to prevent skin breakdown and pressure ulcers (bedsores, decubitis ulcers); and failed to change a resident every two hours.
Another CNA, Paulette George, allegedly failed to bathe a resident for weeks and falsified records to indicate that the resident had been showered. LPN Kim Purdum, 36, of South Beach, New York, allegedly falsified a resident’s chart to conceal that she had not performed necessary blood tests to monitor dosage of Coumadin, a blood thinning medication. The lack of this routine testing and monitoring resulted in the resident suffering internal bleeding and extensive external bruising.
Website Resources:
New York State Attorney General, Cuomo’s Hidden-Camera Investigation Nets More Employees of Medford Multicare Center for Endangering Patients and Falsifying Records to Conceal Neglect, October 30, 2009.
The New York Elder Abuse Attorneys at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC provided aggressive, yet compassionate representation to victims of elder abuse and neglect in the New York area, inclduing Nassau and Suffolk Counties. For a free consultation to discuss your rights, please contact us.
