Robinson Terrace Rehabilitation and Nursing Center suffered 15 confirmed and 7 presumed COVID-19 deaths as of February 28, 2021, according to state records. The facility has also received 46 citations for violations of public health code between 2017 and 2021, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on February 12, 2020, as well as three fines totaling $26,000 since 2012. The Stamford 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 pressure ulcer care. Section 483.25 of the Federal Code requires that nursing homes provide residents with professional levels of care to prevent pressure ulcers from developing and to promote the healing (and prevent the infection of) existing ulcers. An October 2020 citation found that Robinson Terrace Rehabilitation and Nursing Center failed to ensure such. The citation states specifically that the nursing home did not implement professional standards of practice for infection control after changing the dressing on a resident’s pressure ulcer, and that the resident was not turned and positioned from one side to another every two hours in accordance with their care plan. The citation goes on to describe a dressing change in which a Licensed Practical Nurse did not perform proper hand hygiene or change gloves between the removal of one wound’s dressing and the removal of another, on the same resident. In an interview, the LPN stated that care for these wounds “was regularly performed together, despite the wounds being separate wounds” and having separate physicians’ orders for wound care. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the reeducation of the LPN in question.
2. The nursing home did not implement adequate infection control practices. Section 483.80 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must establish and maintain an infection prevention and control program that provides residents with a safe, sanitary, and comfortable environment. A January 2019 citation found that Robinson Terrace Rehabilitation and Nursing Center failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes the facility’s failure to “investigate and document surveillance of the signs and symptoms of resident infections.” Despite policies requiring the facility to monitor resident infections, the citation states, in an interview, the nursing home’s Assistant Director of Nursing “was not able to state which residents had symptoms of infections or those who were currently being treated, and there was no day to day tracking of infections,” and instead needed to read another staffer’s report to identify this data. The citation states that this deficiency had the “potential to cause more than minimal harm.”
3. The nursing home did not take adequate measures to prevent accidents. Section 483.25 of the Federal Code requires nursing homes to provide residents with an environment as free as possible of accident hazards. A January 2019 citation found that Robinson Terrace Rehabilitation and Nursing Center failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes windows in resident rooms which were “in disrepair,” giving residents an increased opportunity to elope from the facility. The citation goes on to describe freestanding wardrobes in resident rooms that “could topple over when tested with normal body weight.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the repair of windows and the securing of the wardrobes to the walls.
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.
