Schulman and Schachne Institute for Nursing and Rehabilitation suffered 26 fatalities from Covid-19 as of June 23, 2020, per state records. The nursing home also received 12 citations finding it violated public health code between 2016 and 2020, according to health records accessed on June 24, 2020. One of those citations concerned infection control procedures. The facility has also received a 2012 fine of $12,000 in connection to findings in a 2010 inspection that it violated health code provisions regarding accidents and the maintenance of residents’ nutritional status. The Brooklyn nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of 3 surveys by state inspectors. The violations they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not take adequate measures to prevent infection. Section 483.80 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must establish and maintain an infection prevention and control program in order to ensure residents a safe and sanitary environment. A February 2018 citation found that Schulman and Schachne Institute for Nursing and Rehabilitation did not ensure such. The citation states specifically that a surveyor observed an uncovered oxygen mask and tubing “wrapped around the metered oxygen valve, and exposed to room air.” The surveyor also observed two residents’ Foley catheter tubes touching the facility’s floor. Both were in contravention of infection prevention and control best practices. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the re-education of relevant staff.
2. The nursing home did not ensure physician consults were completed in a timely manner. Section 483.30 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must ensure a residents’ primary care physicians review the resident’s program of care in a timely fashion, including specialist consultations. A June 2017 citation found that Schulman and Schachne Institute for Nursing and Rehabilitation did not ensure such. The citation states specifically that when a resident requested a podiatry consult and subsequently received it, their primary physician was not made aware of it until over a week later. As such, the citation states, a treatment recommended by the podiatrist was not promptly implemented. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the implementation of a policy to address prompt notification of primary care physicians regarding consultants’ recommendations.
3. The nursing home did not adequately comply with fire safety standards. Section 101 of the Life Safety Code stipulates numerous standards for the installation of sprinkler systems in nursing home facilities, including the minimum distance that must be maintained between sprinklers. A February 2018 citation found that Schulman and Schachne Institute for Nursing and Rehabilitation installed sprinklers “less than the required 6 ft apart from each other” in several locations. In an interview, the nursing home’s Facilities Manager said that “the sprinklers were added in the locations to give additional sprinkler coverage,” and that he would contact the relevant vendor to adjust them.
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.
