St. John’s received 26 citations for violations of public health code between 2018 and 2022, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on May 25, 2022. The Rochester nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of 26 inspections by state surveyors. The violations they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not take adequate steps to prevent accidents. Section 483.25 of the Federal Code states that nursing homes must ensure resident environments are “as free of accident hazards as is possible” and that residents receive “adequate supervision and assistance devices to prevent accidents.” A November 2021 citation found that St. John’s failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes a resident with cognitive impairment and “a history of attempting to consume non-food items” whose room was observed with “multiple potentially hazardous non-food items” that were unsecured. In interviews, the facility’s Director of Nursing and Assistant Director of Nursing stated that “the items found in the resident’s room should have been locked up and placed out of the resident’s reach.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included removal or securing of the items in question.
2. St. John’s was also cited for accident-prevention deficiencies in November 2021. According to this citation, one resident was able elope “due to inadequate staff response and a system failure,” while another resident’s “multiple falls were not thoroughly investigated in order to make appropriate interventions to prevent accidents.” The citation states this deficiency has having the “Potential to cause more than minimal harm.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the education of relevant staff, including the facility’s “Nursing Operations Specialists, Neighborhood Administrators, Nurse Clinical Coordinators, Clinical Support Team members and… therapy department.”
3. The nursing home did not employ adequate food safety standards. Section 483.60 of the Federal Code requires nursing homes to “Store, prepare, distribute and serve food in accordance with professional standards for food service safety.” An April 2019 citation found that St. John’s failed to ensure such. The citation specifically states that the nursing home’s “high temperature dish machine did not consistently meet the required water temperatures for washing.” In an interview, an Assistant Supervisor said that “it had been a couple of years since the dish machine temperatures were recorded,” and that a new documentation process would be initiated immediately.
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.
