The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Barnwell received 66 citations for violations of public health code between 2017 and 2021, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on September 17, 2021. It has also received eight fines totaling $78,000 since 2012. The Valatie nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of 17 surveys by state inspectors. The violations they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not adequately protect residents from neglect. Section 483.12 of the Federal Code ensures nursing home residents the right to be free from neglect. A December 2018 citation found that The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Barnwell failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes the nursing home’s failure to timely provide one resident with interventions for skin, incontinence, and pressure ulcer care; to timely provide another resident with planned interventions with skin and bladder incontinence care; and to timely provide a third resident with planned interventions for pressure ulcer development and incontinence. According to the citation, the facility left the first resident uncared for for a period of 6 hours and 10 minutes, the second resident uncared for for a period of 11 hours and 37 minutes, and the third resident uncared for for a period of 11 hours and 51 minutes. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the educational counseling of nurses and nursing aides.
2. The nursing home did not adequately prevent accidents. Under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code, nursing homes are required to ensure that resident environments are as free of accident hazards as possible and that residents receive adequate supervision to prevent accidents. A January 2020 citation found that The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Barnwell failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes the facility’s failure to ensure a resident who was “totally dependent for eating” received food of the correct consistency, documented in their care plan as “regular diet w/ pureed texture.” Despite this requirement, the resident was observed being fed ground sausage and scrambled egg, with no pureed food available for them. In an interview, a nurse said that the resident should not be eating ground food; in another interview, the facility’s Food Service Director said that “a blender was used for modified consistencies, which can make it difficult to get the consistency correct.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the re-education of nursing and dietary staff.
3. The nursing home failed to prevent medication errors. Section 483.45 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing home residents have the right to be “free of any significant medication errors.” An October 2018 citation found that The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Barnwell failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes medication errors connected to two residents: one of whom “did not receive insulin in a timely manner per physician orders,” and the second of whom “had multiple incidents of receiving the wrong dose” of an anti-anxiety medication. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the educational counseling of the nurses responsible for the errors.
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.
